Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
SC bans firecracker sale, with conditions
The Supreme Court on October 23 ruled out imposing a complete ban on the sale of firecrackers during Diwali but put certain conditions in place for the sale and use of firecrackers. The court directed that crackers with reduced emission (improved crackers) and green crackers would only be permitted to be manufactured and sold.
NGT: Shut all brick kilns in Punjab
The National Green Tribunal on October 24, directed closure of all bricks kilns in Punjab till January 31, 2019. It said that they can start operating only after installing the new technology. There are about 3,000 brick kilns and the total pollution load is deteriorating the air quality especially between October and December.
Stop illegal mining, NGT tells Rajasthan govt
The National Green Tribunal on October 23 ordered the Rajasthan government to shut down illegal mining units in the state within 48 hours after the apex court was told that 38 of the 128 hillocks in the state’s Aravali range region had disappeared due to mining, and this was adding to a rise in pollution levels in parts of north India including the national capital.
SC penalises Graphite India
The Supreme Court on October 29 asked Graphite India Ltd (GIL) to pay a price for polluting the environment. Citing the ‘polluter pays’ principle, the court asked GIL to arrive at a compensation for polluting Whitefield, the suburb at Bangalore, where the factory is located. Members of Whitefield Rising, a citizen group, had filed an interim application in the original case filed by Sunita Narain, director general of the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment.
Apex court bans old vehicles
On October 29, the Supreme Court said that all petrol vehicles over 15 years old and diesel vehicles more than 10 years old will not be allowed to ply in Delhi-NCR. Any vehicle violating the directive will be impounded. CPCB was also ordered to create a social media account on which citizens can lodge complaints on pollution and report violations.
No BS IV vehicles should be sold, says SC
The Supreme Court on October 31 said that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. The Bharat Stage emission standards are instituted by the government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.
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