Use of pet coke: SC asks CPCB chairman to appear before it tomorrow

The Supreme Court today directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) chairman to appear before it tomorrow after it was informed that the board was not compiling and uploading the data on the use of pet coke by certain industries in the national capital region (NCR).

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta was apprised by advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting in the matter as an amicus curiae, that the court had earlier allowed the use of pet coke in certain industries after CPCB had assured that it would collect the data about its use and monitor it on a monthly basis.

 

CPCB's counsel said the board had instructed Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who is representing the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), about the issue. However, Nadkarni said he has not received any such instructions from the CPCB.

"This is a hopeless cause. You call the chairman of CPCB tomorrow," the bench said.

The court was hearing a matter related to a PIL filed in 1985 by environmentalist M C Mehta who had raised the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR.

At the outset, Nadkarni referred to an affidvit filed by the MoEF&CC and said that emission standards for different categories of industries have been notified and sought six weeks more to decide on the issue of ban on import of pet coke.

Regarding availability of natural gas to power plants in the NCR, he said discussions were going on with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

He said on the steps to be taken to strengthen distribution of electricity in NCR, the ministry has written to Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. Nadkarni said so far as distribution of electricity in Delhi was concerned, there was no issue but transmission lines have to be strengthened in parts of these three states.

He said meetings have been held to finalise National Clean Air Programme which was aimed at tackling pollution in several other cities in India.

However, the amicus termed the affidavit as a "bureaucratic reply" and said not much progress was made on these crucial issues relating to pollution.

The amicus said if the government does not take steps, the court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) would have to press for complete ban on use of pet coke. "We are just wasting the time (of the apex court). The status report says the same thing all the time and there is no progress," the amicus said.