Share data on quality of air, vehicle pollution, population count, and other important pollution-related data of cities that are the most polluted by Tuesday or be ready for a non bailable warrant against your chief secretaries. That was the diktat of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for as many as eight states, issued on Monday.
However, the green court relented on Tuesday and asked them to provide the data after three weeks. It will take up the matter again on July 11.
Earlier, NGT’s stern ruling came in after it felt that the states were not serious about pollution and constantly refrained from taking any concrete position on the issue.
The onus was on Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Punjab to follow the orders of the green court.
The issue had come up during NGT’s hearing on a petition related to the ban on registration of diesel vehicles over 2,000 cc in the National Capital Region (NCR). The petitioner wanted the ban to be extended to states and other cities as well.
The NGT also took into account the report on pollution standards in 15 cities, placed before it by the Central Pollution Control Board.
The Supreme Court has already imposed a ban on registration of diesel vehicles more than 2,000 cc in NCR. The ban is on from December 2015.
The center has already placed its concerns over the ban on diesel vehicles beyond 2,000 cc in front of the NGT. It has requested the green court not to extend the ban to other states on the ground that it will restrict the growth of automobile industry in India.