The Bombay High Court has banned firecrackers on public roads, streets and footpaths in Mumbai, called it shocking that the city’s pollution is surpassing Delhi’s, and summoned the heads of the BMC, the police and the pollution board for October 26.
The deeper issue is enforcement. The court said its orders of September 22 and October 15 had not been followed, that police appeared unaware of them, and asked what is the point in having paper orders.
The bench also pointed to construction-related pollution and illegal dumping and said rules and procedures appeared to exist only on paper. It warned of contempt proceedings if the lapses continued.
For the city, the test is whether notices go out by October 24 and whether the affidavits on October 26 show real action.
A standard operating procedure is to be formulated for taking action against violators, according to Outlook India.
The Police Commissioner must convene a meeting with senior officers from all police stations on the restrictions and their enforcement, according to the same report.
The Free Press Journal reports that the heads of the BMC, Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board were summoned to appear on October 26 to explain their failure to curb pollution and enforce the restrictions.
The judges asked the authorities to show an iota of compliance or else file an affidavit stating that they are helpless, according to Free Press Journal.
The court warned that officials would be held accountable and that contempt proceedings would be started if the lapses continued, according to the same report.
The BMC and the pollution control board were directed to publish notices in newspapers and on social media by October 24 stating that bursting firecrackers on roads, streets, lanes and footpaths is prohibited and highlighting the harmful effects of firecracker smoke and noise.
Bombay High Court building, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0