COMMISSION FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT – ENVIRONMENT
News:
Commission for Air
Quality Management decides to invoke 8-point action plan as per Stage-IV of the
GRAP in the entire NCR with immediate effect
What's
in the news?
●
The pollution control panel
at the Center decides to invoke an 8-point
action plan as per Stage-IV of the GRAP in the entire NCR with immediate
effect, in addition to all actions under Stage I, II and III to prevent
further deterioration of air quality in the region.
About the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM):
●
The Commission was first formed by an
ordinance in October 2020.
○
The erstwhile Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control)
Authority, or EPCA
had been dissolved to make way for the Commission.
●
In 2021, the Parliament approved the Commission for Air Quality Management
in the National Capital Region and the Adjoining Areas Act.
Features:
● The
Commission is a statutory authority.
●
The Commission will supersede bodies such
as the central and state pollution control boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP
and Rajasthan.
Composition:
● Chairperson - To
be chaired by a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief
Secretary.
● The
chairperson will hold the post for three years or until s/he attains the age of
70 years.
● It
will have members from several Ministries as well as representatives from the
stakeholder States.
●
It will have experts from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
and Civil Society.
Powers and functions:
●
It will have the powers to issue directions to these state governments on issues
pertaining to air pollution.
●
It will entertain complaints as it deems
necessary for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the air in
the NCR and adjoining areas.
●
It will also lay down parameters for control of air pollution.
●
It will also be in charge of identifying
violators, monitoring factories and industries and any other polluting unit in
the region, and will have the powers to shut down such units.
● It
will also have the powers to overrule
directives issued by the state governments in the region, that may be in
violation of pollution norms.