Air pollution in the state including Mumbai is alarming!

Mumbai: The deteriorating air quality and the growing pollution issue in Mumbai and across the state have raised serious concerns. The High Court expressed its displeasure by reprimanding the state government, municipal administrations, and the Pollution Control Board. Despite allowing light vehicles to pass through toll booths, the traffic problem in Mumbai remains unresolved, with increasing congestion. The court pointed out that this is further contributing to pollution, and it criticized the government’s traffic management system.

A public interest litigation highlighting the air pollution issue was filed in the High Court by Amar Tike, Anand Jha, and Sameer Surve, with advocate Prashant Pandye representing them. The High Court also took suo-motu notice of the issue and filed a PIL. On Monday, a hearing took place before the division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Girish Kulkarni.

The state government informed the court that air quality in Mumbai and nearby areas had deteriorated since last week, with the AQI (Air Quality Index) rising. The government also stated plans to purchase seven new modern mobile air quality vans and set up 15 additional air quality monitoring stations in the city. However, the court expressed dissatisfaction with this response, stating that the government should have taken immediate action rather than waiting for orders. The bench noted that pollution tends to spike around Diwali and that immediate steps should have been taken. The court emphasized the urgency of the issue, questioning the government’s awareness of the long-term consequences if the current situation persists, and scheduled the next hearing for January 9.

Traffic Management Criticized: The court also raised serious concerns about the state’s ineffective traffic management, which directly impacts pollution levels. It pointed out that poor traffic management results in vehicles being stuck, particularly on the Western Express Highway, leading to the emission of toxic gases. The court emphasized that the traffic department must ensure smooth flow, and questioned the utility of the existing infrastructure, including large bridges and the Coastal Road, if it takes up to 90 minutes to travel from Bandra to Borivali.