The Rajasthan officials have been asked to respond to contempt notices by the Supreme Court of India as they have not followed directions regarding the reduction of air & noise pollution.
This legal action comes in the wake of a contempt application by one Bhagyashree Pancholy, a resident of Udaipur, pointing to the state’s failure to fulfill the orders of presence made on November 7, 2023, which sought to put in place measures that would reduce pollution levels. The court made a specific mention of firecrackers, which are burnt in the lakes in Udaipur, which have an implication for environmental pollution.
A bench comprising MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh has issued notices to additional chief secretary (environment) Aparna Arora, Udaipur district collector Arvind Poswal, police superintendent Yogesh Goyal, and Rajasthan Pollution Control Board regional officer Sharad Saxena have been issued while being asked to reply to the notices within four weeks. On this significant note, the bench also mentioned that in this stage, the personal presence of the alleged contemnors is not mandatory.
Pancholy’s application was evoked from a public interest litigation petition filed in 2015 seeking a blanket ban on firecrackers, given their negative effects on air quality. Earlier, the Supreme Court passed orders to prohibit the production, distribution, and usage of classical firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region following a rise in pollution standards.
The court also pointed out in its November 2023 directions that the state of Rajasthan shall have to initiate and implement necessary anti-pollution measures immediately, more so during and after festival seasons. The affidavit filed by Pancholy through advocate Pooja Dhar provided instances of how local authorities have continued to disobey judicial directions.
It cited a news report that reminded us that firecrackers were still being used around Udaipur’s water bodies, and this means continuous threats to the health of the public and the balance of the ecosystem in the region. The court has a working history of addressing matters that involve air quality since it recently phased out the use of traditional firecrackers in 2018.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates