Better not to live in Delhi SC judge on bad air

  • | Saturday | 19th January, 2019

The total cost of the project is around Rs 22,552 crore of which Delhi needs to pay Rs 11,038 crore and the Centre Rs 5,686 crore. The court also questioned the Delhi government for objecting to constructing an elevated station as the decision was approved by experts. “It is better not to live in Delhi. It is very difficult to live in Delhi. It is like a gas chamber ,” he said.The ill-effects of air pollution on the health of Delhi residents are being increasingly documented and one report has said this can be compared to smoking 15-20 cigarettes a day.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court’s urgency to get the RRTS project on the fast track was triggered by Justice Arun Mishra, in the bench along with Justice Deepak Gupta, who said he was stuck in a massive traffic jam on Friday morning and barely made it to the swearing-in of two new judges to the SC. “It is better not to live in Delhi. It is very difficult to live in Delhi. I do not wish to settle here... It is like a gas chamber ,” he said.The ill-effects of air pollution on the health of Delhi residents are being increasingly documented and one report has said this can be compared to smoking 15-20 cigarettes a day. As per a Berkeley Earth Science Research Group report, breathing in air with a PM2.5 content of between 950 and 1,000 is considered roughly equivalent to smoking 44 cigarettes a day.The Delhi government contended it had no funds to spare for the project and had requested the Centre to bear the burden of its share. The total cost of the project is around Rs 22,552 crore of which Delhi needs to pay Rs 11,038 crore and the Centre Rs 5,686 crore. The rest is to be paid by the Uttar Pradesh government.“The Delhi government is also not agreeable to the revised alignment of RRTS corridor due to change of station at Sarai Kale Khan from underground to elevated. It is of the view that the change of plan would seriously delay redevelopment of Sarai Kale Khan ISBT,” the Delhi government said in its affidavit.Taking strong exception to Delhi government’s stand, the bench said the project cannot depend on its “mercy” and it is the government’s duty to provide funds as the project is essential for the city. “You are bound to provide funds. You cannot act like this,” the bench said. The court also questioned the Delhi government for objecting to constructing an elevated station as the decision was approved by experts.

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