New Delhi, 19 May (H.S.): On May 19, the Supreme Court criticized the Delhi government for failing to fill vacancies in the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, directing that all 204 positions be filled by September 2025. Currently, only 83 of those vacancies have been addressed, prompting the justices, Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, to express their intolerance for this negligence given Delhi’s severe air pollution crisis. They ordered the government to submit an affidavit by October 15, warning that failure to comply would constitute aggravated contempt.

The court also required the Delhi government to proactively start addressing future vacancies six months in advance. During the hearing, the government requested six months to complete the process, but the court questioned why it should take that long, emphasizing that the board was established by the government itself.

On May 8, the Supreme Court had previously admonished not only Delhi but also the governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan for similar failures, issuing contempt notices to their chief secretaries due to non-compliance with an August 2024 order that mandated filling vacancies by April 30. The court noted the alarming vacancy percentage of 55% in the Delhi committee, deeming it virtually defunct.

Additionally, the Supreme Court highlighted a 21% vacancy rate in the Central Pollution Control Board and ordered that these also be filled by August 2025. The court mandated an investigation into the operations of State Pollution Control Boards, suggesting that outdated technology may be in use, and instructed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to conduct relevant studies and provide recommendations by the end of July for necessary improvements.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar