NGT pulls up states for not curbing pollution

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday pulled up the state governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab for failing to give any concrete response on action taken to curb the worsening air quality in the region.

"The ambient air quality is so bad that children are not able to breathe properly. Why didn't you spray water using helicopters, as per our direction? You take instructions and inform us day after tomorrow," the bench said.

The bench raised questions about why did the state governments not take "preventive" and "precautionary" measures even though it had been reported earlier that the situation was likely to be bad after Diwali and was likely to degrade further.

The pollution levels in the Capital breached the 'severe' category on Tuesday. As per top pollution watchdog Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), when the air quality index spirals past 401-500, it is marked as severe levels of pollution, which can affect people who are healthy and seriously impact those already suffering from respiratory diseases.

The NGT was hearing a plea that sought urgent action against the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).