Bombay High Court Summons BMC Commissioner, Top Officials Over Mumbai Air Pollution

The Bombay High Court on Monday summoned Bhushan Gagrani, the Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and M. Devender Singh, Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), over air pollution in Mumbai. Expressing strong displeasure over inaction regarding the deteriorating condition of air quality, the court has filed a Suo motu petition.

The officials are ordered to appear before the court on Tuesday. The division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad issued the order while taking a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on air pollution.

‘Fresh Air Need Of The Hour’

A bench of Justices G. S. Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe at Bombay HC termed the current state of pollution as

an “emergency” and noted that the right to breathe clean air was a fundamental right.

The bench urged authorities to come up with a solution to address the pollution and odour emanating from Kanjurmarg dumping ground in the metropolis. “Fresh air is the need of the hour. Breathing itself has become difficult because of pollution,” the court said.

The bench was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the environmental clearance granted for using the Kanjurmarg site for dumping activities.

The petitioners raised concerns about persistent stench, fumes, and health issues such as respiratory and skin ailments among residents.

Government pleader Jyoti Chavan told the court that a state-appointed committee, pursuant to HC orders, had visited the site on Sunday and found that the odour at the site was a problem.

Chavan informed the court that short-term measures could be implemented immediately and that IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi were being consulted for mitigation strategies.