Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (October 23, 2024)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (September 20, 2024)
Published on

GRAP Stage I never invoked when AQI touched 'poor' category: CAQM

Graded response action plan (GRAP) Stage-I has not been invoked on paper whenever the air quality index (AQI) touched / crossed 200, owing to the widely varying trend of AQI, according to a report by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on October 23, 2024.

The GRAP Schedule was invoked only during the winter months in the past years, beginning from 2017, stated the report for the National Capital Region and adjoining areas, prepared in compliance of National Green Tribunal order September 27, 2024, along with supporting affidavit.

The summer period of 2024, particularly during the month of May, witnessed highly unfavourable meteorological and weather phenomena, with absolutely no rainfall.

In such dry conditions, high-speed winds from across the neighbouring areas, including tranboundary winds, caused transfer of large amounts of fine dust and particulate matter, raising the PM 2.5 / PM10 levels abnormally on particular days and was not attributable to any specific local sectors.

A similar situation was also encountered on September 25, 2024, when the Delhi's average AQI was 235 (poor category). This rise was owing to an episodic atmospheric event and observing that there was already a significantly declining trend and forecast from IMD / IITM indicating the AQI would move back to moderate category, below 200 in the coming days, the report said.

Remove posters, hoardings, repaint defaced walls: Delhi HC to DUSU

Election posters / banners / hoardings / graffiti put up by the candidates for the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections 2024-2025 has to be removed by them and they have to repaint the walls that have been defaced, in collaboration with Delhi University / colleges, the Delhi High Court said October 21, 2024.  

The bench comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed 16 of the candidates to appear before the court on the next date of hearing on October 28, 2024. 

Delhi University, Delhi Police and the Municipal Commission of Delhi (MCD) have been directed to file fresh status reports.

"Both the North and South Campus are yet to recover from the ‘election excesses’ and they continue to look shabby, as a large number of posters / hoardings / banners / graffiti are yet to be removed and boundary walls of a number of colleges are still to be repainted," the court observed.

Counsel for the Delhi University handed over the status report October 19, 2024, prepared by the chief election officer, DUSU Elections 2024-2025.

The report said that “it has been found that more than 90 per cent of the colleges / departments / institutions / centres have made their campus free from any defacement".

Counsel for Delhi University stated that the statement has been made on the basis of the responses received from the colleges, departments, institutions and centres.

The statement has been disputed by petitioner Prashant Manchanda as well as by the counsel for MCD and DMRC. Counsel for the MCD said, "Delhi University should be asked to pay Rs 1 crore to the MCD on account of expenses incurred by it for cleaning the properties defaced during DUSU Elections in 12 zones". 

Osho Ganga Dham encroached forest, constructed in flood frequency zone: Report

Osho Ganga Dham, situated at Brahmapuri, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, has illegally encroached upon forest land and some of its structures are located within the flood frequency zone, revealed the Joint Committee report October 21, 2024.

The joint committee conducted an inspection September 24, 2024 at the premises of Osho Ganga Dham situated at Brahmapuri, Tehri Garhwal.
During the joint measurement of land by the revenue and forest departments, 0.4146 hectare was found to be under the possession of Osho Ganga Dham, as against the 0.2089 hectare approved under the lease. Of this, 0.1566 hectare was built up and 0.2580 hectare remains as open space.

The premises do not have a sewage treatment plant and a septic tank has been constructed near the riverbank.

The inspection also revealed that a hall, residential cottages and temporary tin sheds had been constructed within the premises and this is located within the 100-year flood frequency zone. “These structures are approximately 63 metres from the centre of the Ganga river,” the report said.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Down To Earth
www.downtoearth.org.in