Delhi pollution: SC gives 3 months to Centre, Delhi government to set up smog tower

The Supreme Court, on Monday, ordered the Centre and the Delhi government to set up a 'smog tower' pilot project for which it gave the governments a time period of three months. The pilot project will be set up Connaught Place in Delhi. These 'smog towers' would mainly act as large scale air purifiers to address the menace of air pollution.

Read:Delhi's AQI improves marginally after light showers and increase in wind speed

The Bench comprising of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Deepak Gupta held a short discussion with an IIT professor who has been examining various technologies, like smog towers and anti-smog guns, to combat air pollution. Smog towers are structures designed as large-scale air purifiers to reduce air pollution particles.

Read: Delhi: AQI plunges to 'severe' category for second consecutive day

'Don't want to waste one more year'

The Bench, however, did not agree with authorities' asking for time until August-September 2020 stating that they don't want to "waste one more year". Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ANS Nadkarni, who represented the Centre, asked for a time extension since setting up a smog tower under the pilot project would require at least six months. On the other hand, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who was the representative of the Delhi government said that setting up a smog tower would require nearly nine months.

Read: National capital faces “very poor” air quality levels once again

This contention by both the Centre and the state was also supported by the IIT professor who submitted that the smog tower would only be feasible by August or September 2020. The apex court then asked the authorities to submit the budgetary allocation for such technology and they were asked to do this within a day. The apex court, in the end, decided to give the governments a time period of three months for the pilot project. 

On December 9, the Supreme Court had partially lifted the ban on construction activities in the Delhi-NCR and allowed construction between 6 am and 6 pm. This decision was taken after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed the court that the air quality index (AQI) was not in the severe category anymore. 

Read: WATCH | AQI in Delhi remains poor, amid dropping temperature

(With Agency Inputs)