New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the use of petroleum coke and furnace oil in the National Capital Region, Haryana and Rajasthan by 34 industrial groups in its efforts to bring down pollution levels that have spiked in the industrial hubs of these areas post-Diwali.
These fuels, which emanate highly toxic gases, are banned in Delhi since 1996.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) lauded the directive as "a big win for Delhi-NCR as well as the rest of the country fighting a tough battle against toxic pollution".
A bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta directed the three states to immediately notify the ban under the Air Act, failing which it said the prohibition would automatically come into effect from November 1.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the Union environment and forests ministry for failing to notify the emission norms for sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) for the 34 industrial groups despite various recommendations from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The court also directed the ministry to notify the standards for NOx and SOx for the industrial sectors, adding that they would have to be complied with by December 31, 2017.
"They (the ministry) are not doing the job honestly…. You have been sitting on the issue. The ministry’s behaviour is very insensitive. It wants more pollution," the court observed.
CPCB counsel Vijay Panjwani had said the board had submitted a draft of the norms to the ministry in 2014 and also in June this year, but the Centre had not taken any decision on banning the use of the two fuels for industrial use.
SOx and NOx, emitted by petcoke and furnace oil, are considered major industrial pollutants after carbon dioxide.
The bench passed the direction on an application moved by the apex court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) seeking a ban on the use of the two fuels.
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