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New Delhi:
In a dramatic listening to on Wednesday afternoon, the Supreme Court warned IIT Bombay of contempt proceedings if it carried by its intention to withdraw from a authorities undertaking to put in a “smog tower” to regulate air air pollution within the nationwide capital.
In a sternly-worded rebuke the court docket stated it could “punish” the establishment for backing out of the undertaking six months after a web site go to by IIT Bombay and Tata Projects Ltd officers and a draft MoU was drawn up by the CPCB (central air pollution management board) in January.
“I can’t tolerate this nonsense. We will punish IIT Bombay and other authorities for delaying court orders. How can they back out after six months? How can they back out from a government project? I will draw up contempt case against them,” Justice Arun Mishra stated.
Justice Mishra then tore right into a helpless Solicitor General, first demanding that he check with and supply a reply from IIT Bombay – first inside 30 minutes after which inside 15, earlier than lastly relenting and permitting the matter to be listed tomorrow.
“Call IIT Bombay and we will hear within half an hour,” the court docket stated, to which Mr Mehta replied: “How will IIT Bombay come now? I don’t know anyone there”.
A relentless Justice Mishra then stated: “This is total nonsense. We will give you 15 minutes”.
“I cannot in 15 minutes. Give me 24 hours. Nothing will change in 24 hours. Your lordship, please put yourself in my position,” the Solicitor General pleaded.
“Then we will issue contempt. Why did not you reply to the letter by IIT Bombay. Why are you saving IIT Bombay? No, no, no, you cannot do this. IIT Bombay are already in contempt and now they are backing out from assurances also,” a livid Justice Mishra stated.
Eventually, declaring itself “not at all happy with the state of affairs”, the court docket stated “as per Solicitor General’s request, let the matter be listed tomorrow”.
The Solicitor General had earlier knowledgeable the court docket that regardless of letters being written IIT Bombay had backed out of the undertaking and that the federal government was in talks with IIT Delhi and NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) to construct the tower.
IIT Bombay had written an e mail on July 14 during which the establishment stated it could not be capable to settle for situations laid down within the MoU, corresponding to taking accountability of general coordination and verification of works to be carried out by Tata Power Ltd.
That e mail got here a day earlier than a gathering was convened by the ministry to debate, with IIT Bombay and CPCB officers, points related with the undertaking.
In December final yr the highest court docket gave the centre and the Delhi authorities three months to arrange a smog tower at Delhi’s Connaught Place. At that point the centre filed an affidavit saying it could take at the least six months to set a tower up underneath a pilot undertaking.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Delhi authorities, stated practically 9 months can be wanted. An IIT professor consulted at the moment stated the tower, together with anti-smog weapons, might solely be possible by August 2020 on the earliest.
According to information company PTI, funds amounting to Rs 18.52 crore have been sanctioned for the undertaking.
Smog towers are large-scale purifiers designed to cut back air air pollution in surrounding areas.
With enter from PTI
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