The tribunal also asked the chief secretary to personally monitor the actions the government would take to implement its orders related to the Sunderbans, Adi Ganga, East Calcutta Wetlands, Ganga pollution and solid waste management.

The tribunal on Monday also advised the state to phase out diesel-fired commercial vehicles aged 15 years or more more expeditiously than the ones that run on petrol.

Diesel vehicles emit more PM2.5, the most toxic pollutants that enter deep into the lungs and can trigger a host of ailments, including cancer, than petrol vehicles.

“Do not follow Delhi,” the tribunal said, hinting at the ongoing severe air pollution level in the national capital, and advised the chief secretary to consider whether the age cut-off for phasing out of diesel vehicles would be 10 years, instead of 15.

“We have implemented a few directives of the tribunal,” said an environment department official, who admitted that upgrade of auto-emission testing centres, traffic re-engineering and setting up of adequate car parking space were still pending. “We have taken action against construction pollution in a few areas but the violation is still happening.”

Sarobar violation

Green activist Datta raised the issue of violation of the tribunal’s order banning Chhath Puja rituals at Rabindra Sarobar. The bench asked Datta to submit a fresh petition about the violation. The earlier order was filed based on a petition by the activist.

Telegraph picture

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday directed the Bengal chief secretary to submit a time-bound plan within four weeks detailing what the state would do to comply with the panel’s three-year-old order to curb air pollution in Calcutta, environment activist Subhas Datta said.

The activist attended the proceedings. The account could not be confirmed with chief secretary Rajeeva Sinha. A lawyer, however, corroborated it.

The NGT principal bench of Justice S.P. Wangdi, expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal and expert member Saibal Gupta asked for the plan after Sinha, appearing before it in person, submitted that the state was committed to implementing all but one of the directives of the tribunal by March 2020.

The directive that cannot be implemented by March next year concerns providing LPG cylinders to road-side eateries, most of which burn coal.

The tribunal had in August 2016 asked the state to take a series of steps to curb the city’s air pollution. The steps include setting up more automatic air pollution measuring stations, banning commercial vehicles aged 15 years or more, commissioning source apportionment study on major pollutants and stopping burning of coal and wood.

Sinha, along with state environment secretary Prabhat Mishra, appeared before the bench in response to an order from the tribunal that the chief secretary appear before it in person.

The tribunal had issued the order after imposing a fine of Rs 10 crore on the state government for not complying with the 2016 directives, which were issued in response to a petition by Datta.

Datta said that when the bench sought to know the state government’s position on Monday, the chief secretary said all but one of the directives of the tribunal would be implemented by next March.

The bench then asked him to submit the plan within four weeks on the steps to be taken by the state government.