New Delhi, Dec 16 The Supreme Court has disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to public and private sector oil companies to divert part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds towards improving public transport services in Delhi and other polluted cities.
However, a Bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna granted liberty to the PIL litigant to make appropriate representation or endeavour to bring the issue to the notice of the authorities concerned, including the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
“It is needless to observe that if such a representation is made by the petitioner herein, the same shall be considered in accordance with law,” ordered the Bench, also comprising Justice N. Kotiswar Singh.
The PIL, filed by Tsunami On Roads, an NGO, said that in order to reduce health hazards due to severe air pollution in Delhi and other most polluted cities, oil companies should be directed to contribute towards public transport services to compensate for environmental damage occurring due to burning of fossil fuels.
Further, it sought directions to the EPCA to supervise and make guidelines regarding appropriate use of the CSR for betterment of the public transport system of selected heavily polluted cities.
The petition also sought directions to the EPCA to utilise part of CESS lying with the CPCB [collected under heads; environment protection charges (EPC) and environmental compensation (EC)] for improving public transport also besides other environment protection activities.
To control air pollution, the PIL said that it is a universally accepted fact that the public transport system is the most important and cost-effective means for reducing dirty air and traffic congestion.
“Even in the most developed countries, instead of more and more roads and flyovers, they are giving more stress to alternative plans in terms of mass transport. In a developing country like India it may not always be possible for the government to provide adequate subsidy or financial help to the transport sector, so in that case public transport may be helped through CSR,” it said.
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