Can Delhi buy remote-sensing machines to detect pollution, SC asks
New Delhi, May 10: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Delhi government if it could use the funds collected from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) to purchase remote-sensing machines to detect pollution emitted from diesel vehicles plying on the roads.
A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta was informed by advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae, that the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) has suggested using remote-sensing technology which was found to be "most effective" in checking emission from diesel vehicles.
The bench told the Delhi government that "the amount from ECC can be used for this purpose".
Aparajita Singh said the technology was successfully used in China and Hong Kong to tackle the problem of air pollution and was already being used in Pune and Kolkata effectively.
The remote-sensing machines will be installed on the roads in Delhi for quick emissions screening of on-road fleet and identify high emitters on road. The machine also scans the number plates and owner could be sent notice for emitting pollutant.
An EPCA report on steps to be taken to strengthen pollution under control (PUC) mechanism recommended the use of remote-sensing machines and said Delhi needs 10 such machines while the cost of each machine would be around Rs 2.5 crore.
The bench asked the Central government to look into the issue and it sought six weeks for the purpose.
On Wednesday, the court asked the EPCA to examine the Delhi government's proposal for using part of the Rs 999.25 crore collected from ECC to buy semi-low floor fully electric buses to deal with the pollution level and improve public transport.
The court was hearing a PIL filed in 1985 by environmentalist M.C. Mehta relating to air pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).
Meanwhile, the Central government told the apex court that the comprehensive action plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR would be notified and implemented in its entirety within four weeks.
Additional Solicitor General N.S. Nadkarni, appearing for the Central government, said parts of the plan have already been implemented in Delhi-NCR.
The bench, however, asked the Central government to ensure that the programmes are not only notified but also implemented properly, and posted the matter for further hearing in July.
It also asked the Central government to take a decision by June 30 on banning import of pet coke in the country.
The court asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to monitor fortnightly the industries using pet coke, till the rules are framed by the government in this regard.
Aparajita Singh has said the court earlier allowed the use of pet coke in certain industries after the CPCB assured that it would collect the data about its use and monitor it on a monthly basis.
But the CPCB was not compiling and uploading the data, she added.
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SIT initiates probe to identify persons who 'forced' woman to lodge complaint in sexual abuse case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged multiple instances of sexual abuse by Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna has initiated an inquiry to identify those who allegedly called a woman and "forced" her to register a "fake complaint" against the JD(S) leader, sources said on Friday.
The move comes after the National Commission for Women (NCW) said that one woman complainant who reached out to it claimed she was forced to register a fake complaint against the 33-year-old, who is the Lok Sabha poll candidate for Hassan and the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
Sources said the investigating team headed by Additional Director General of Police B K Singh got to know about the woman only after NCW forwarded the complaint to SIT.
A senior official who is a part of the investigation team said that no one from SIT has contacted her before and she has not filed any complaint with them in this regard.
“SIT has initiated an inquiry into this matter to identify the persons who made phone calls to the woman and accordingly necessary legal action will be taken against such persons,” a source said.
According to the NCW, the woman complainant came to the commission to register a complaint against three individuals, allegedly introducing themselves as Karnataka Police officials and forcing her to allegedly give a false complaint in this case.
“She stated that she is being called by random phone numbers threatening her (telling her to lodge) a complaint. It has come to light that this complainant was forced by a group of individuals to file a complaint, under the threat of potential harassment and false implications. The victim has sought protection for her family’s welfare, underscoring the seriousness of the situation,” the NCW stated.
