Centre brings in ordinance to deal with air pollution in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi, Oct 29: Ahead of Supreme Court's hearing on pollution issue in Delhi on Thursday, President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday signed an order to form a committee to look into the air quality management of the national capital and its adjoining areas.

According to reports, the committee will be constituted to manage the pollution in crisis in Delhi-NCR and its adjoining areas for better coordination, research, identification and resolution of problems related to the air quality in Delhi.

The committee will be of 18 members and will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the Centre, which will have representatives from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

It is also said that the 18-member committee shall have powers to lower the pollution crisis, stop power supply to or take action against any entity or industry, and take up matter suo moto on the basis of complaints. The ordinance also said that any violation could be punishable with imprisonment up to 5 years or fines which may exceed up to Rs 1 crore or more.

"The code of criminal procedure shall apply to anyone found stopping the officer from performing his/her duty as a member of the commission. An offence under the ordinance shall be non-cognizable and be triable under the national green tribunal act in the court of the national green tribunal (NGT)", the ordinance reads.

This came days after the Centre told the apex court that it will bring a law to create a permanent body through legislation to deal with the stubble burning and tackle the air pollution in Delhi and its adjoining areas in winters.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, told the top court that the legislation is being contemplated and the draft of the proposed law on air pollution will be ready by the next week.

On October 16, the top court had appointed retired judge Justice Madan B Lokur, a former SC judge, as the one-man monitoring committee to prevent the stubble burning in Delhi's neighbouring states - Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.