Submit proposal for using electric vehicles in govt bodies: SC to Centre
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to submit a proposal by April 30 on the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in government departments to reduce pollution.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan asked additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati to place on record the proposal by April end.
During the hearing, Bhati said while 60 lakh vehicles over the permissible age were plying in Delhi, in the NCR the number stood at 25 lakh.
"ASG has flagged issues that large number of overage vehicles plying in Delhi and NCR region. We will issue directions on this when we consider the issue of vehicular pollution (sic)," the bench said.
The top court further directed the Centre to complete the study within three months on the use of remote-sensing technology to keep a check on vehicular pollution.
"Attention is invited to reconsider the issue pertaining to issue of remote sensing. UoI (union of India) has sought time of 10-12 months to complete the study. This issue is of vital importance for curbing vehicular pollution. We direct Union of India to complete the study within three months from today," the bench said.
Bhati said after the FASTag system coming into existence, cars zoomed past toll plazas and couldn't be used anymore to conduct the study.
So, we will need some more time, she said.
The proposal for using remote sensing devices for on-road emission monitoring had first come in 2019 from Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, which assists the apex court on environment issues.
The top court has been monitoring the air pollution crisis in Delhi in an ongoing Public Interest Litigation — M C Mehta v. Union of India, since 1984.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
