Delhi: Pollution board receives over 800 complaints in last 10 months

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has received over 800 pollution-related complaints from the Delhi-NCR region over the past 10 months, as revealed in a response to a Right to Information (RTI) query.

In reply to an RTI filed by environmentalist Amit Gupta, the CPCB reported receiving 665 complaints from Delhi, 143 from Noida, and 28 from Gurugram and Faridabad as of October 29. These complaints were submitted through platforms like Twitter, the Sameer app, and email.

Despite the hundreds of complaints, the CPCB’s response reveals no record of any action taken against officials across Delhi-NCR for neglecting these complaints, as required by a Supreme Court ruling from November 26, 2018, Gupta told PTI. The Supreme Court had ordered that authorities should hold officers accountable if they fail to address pollution complaints.

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However, in its RTI response from December 2, 2022, the CPCB mentioned that it had issued legal notices to local authorities, including the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North MCD), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), the Public Works Department (PWD), and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Gupta added.

Last week, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) expressed concern about the slow progress in resolving complaints and the growing backlog of air pollution-related cases in the capital. The panel, which is tasked with improving air quality in Delhi-NCR, emphasized the need for a more proactive approach to addressing complaints, highlighting that delays in resolution impede the effective implementation of air quality management measures.

On Monday morning, the air quality in Delhi was categorized as “very poor,” with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 349 at 9 am.