NGT summons Delhi-govt official to explain action-plan on climate change
(Sourced from PTI)
The National Green Tribunal has summoned an official of the Environment Department in Delhi to explain the proposed amendments made by AAP government in the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). A bench headed by Raghuvendra S Rathore and expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal directed the Deputy Secretary or concerned senior scientist of the department to appear before it on October 25.
"A draft Action Plan was prepared in the month of September 2016. However, the Counsel for Delhi was unable to give any update in respect of the proposed amendments to be made in the Action Plan," said the bench.
The order was passed after the Environment Department informed the tribunal that it has decided to make certain amendments to the SAPCC. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change informed the tribunal that since January 2010, it has asked the Delhi government thrice to submit SAPCC but nothing has been done and sought direction to the AAP government to submit the plan.
The National Green Tribunal was hearing a petition filed by scientist Mahendra Pandey seeking direction to draft, finalize, and implement the SAPCC on the lines and the spirit of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The NAPCC is a comprehensive action plan which outlines the measures on climate change-related adaptation and mitigation while simultaneously advancing development.
The plea had also sought directions to AAP-government to place on record relevant material and documents relating to steps taken by it in order to implement Action Plan on Climate Change. The Delhi government had earlier claimed that it formulated a Climate Change Agenda in 2009. However, Agenda expired in 2012 and since then Delhi has no Action Plan on Climate Change, plea alleged.
Pandey, in his plea filed through advocate Gaurav Bansal, had contended that Delhi was facing a number of environmental issues due to ill-effects of climate change. The former scientist has contended that Delhi generated around 800 million tons of garbage daily and the same was dumped as it is on three main landfill sites of national capital which have completed their life.
"By continuously dumping of large quantity of solid waste, the respondents are compromising with the air quality which ultimately is contributing to climate change..," the plea said. As per report of IIT Kanpur, the petitioner has learned that domestic cooking, road dust, waste burning, diesel generators etc are releasing PM2.5, PM10 etc in atmosphere and as such are major contributors to the climate change.
The NGT had in 2015 directed all states and Union Territories to "expeditiously" prepare their action plans on climate change in accordance with the Center's guidelines and get them approved by the Environment Ministry.
