BMC submits action plan in HC on tackling Mumbai air pollution; court urges all to be responsible

Mumbai, Dec 15 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Monday urged citizens to be responsible and emphasised on finding ways to improve air quality in the metropolis, while the city civic body listed measures taken by it to address the rising pollution concerns.

A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, looking into a bunch of petitions on air pollution in Mumbai, refused urgent hearing on an application filed by a consortium of developers seeking to intervene in the matter.

As per the HC's directive last month, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) submitted an affidavit detailing a series of measures undertaken for air pollution mitigation. The steps included sensor integration, issuance of stop-work notices under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), transition of bakeries to cleaner fuels, deployment of electric buses, dust mitigation units at critical junctions, and operation of construction and demolition waste processing facilities.

The court last month also ordered constitution of a committee to conduct inspections at construction sites as part of efforts to improve Mumbai's poor air quality index (AQI).

The committee, constituted on November 28, comprises officials from the BMC, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the public health department and two advocates.

Panel members conducted site visits between December 6 and 13 across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, including at Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) plants, which cater to construction projects. The committee also held meetings with the BMC after identifying high-AQI zones.

The panel's report would be submitted to the court this week.

The bench emphasised on finding proper solutions to the issue of air pollution.

"Let us find some solutions. Let us be responsible citizens," the court pleaded while hearing the petitions on air pollution in the financial capital.

The bench then posted the matter for further hearing next week.

The court also refused urgent hearing on an application filed by a consortium of developers seeking to intervene in the matter, noting it would first examine the extent to which realtors were themselves in breach of pollution-mitigation norms.

The developers claimed compliance with court-mandated sensor-based air quality monitoring was not feasible as the BMC had authorised only 13 vendors, who were allegedly unable to supply sufficient sensors.

The court observed it would examine the committee's findings before considering further directions. PTI SP RSY