The Hindu : New Delhi News : Court seeks views on corporate role in transport

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Court seeks views on corporate role in transport

J. Venkatesan

Supreme Court sends notice to Delhi Government

EPCA asks court to take up issue of air pollution urgently
‘Level of pollution matches pre-CNG pollution levels’

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought the response of the Delhi Government on the concept of allowing the corporate sector to improve and run the public transport services in the Capital. A three-Judge Bench comprising Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice S. H. Kapadia sought the response after perusing a report of the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) suggesting corporatisation of the public transport system to minimise the use of personal vehicles by commuters.

The EPCA had also sent a note to the Apex court requesting it to take up the issue of air pollution urgently due to the increasing number of diesel cars. In view of this the Forest Bench decided to examine this issue. Earlier, amicus curiae Harish Salve submitted that Delhi’s roads had become so crowded with private vehicles that commuters spent hours on the road every day before reaching their destination. He suggested that the Government examine the feasibility of private-public participation to augment the city’s bus fleet and provide quality service to attract commuters.

The EPCA said that private vehicles had increased manifold causing not only traffic chaos but also a rise in pollution levels. It said the public transport system should be augmented to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road. It blamed the State Government for its failure to provide sufficient public transport buses. This, it said, was the main reason for the exponential growth of private cars, especially diesel variants, pushing Delhi back to the alarming pre-2002 levels of air pollution.

As per the report there was an alarming level of pollution that matched the pre-CNG pollution levels of 2002. It pointed out that at present the city bus fleet strength was around 6,000 and “each year, while cars are increasing, bus numbers are decreasing, leading to problem of pollution and congestion”.

Giving details of pollution levels, it said: “The respirable suspended particulate matters (RSPM), which had dropped from 143 micro-grams per cubic metre in 2002 to 115 in 2005, has again reached the level of 136 micro-grams per cubic metre. Nitrogen oxide levels have crossed the danger mark. These are clear signs of pollution from vehicular emission.”

The EPCA said: “Little has been done to plan for public transport in the city and connectivity between the growing cities of the National Capital Region. It is no wonder that National Highway-8, the Delhi-Gurgaon road, which was designed to handle 160,000 vehicles by 2015, is already appearing to get congested with 130,000 cars vying for space.”

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