Patna High Court
From Neeraj Kmuar
Patna: The Patna High Court has directed the Bihar State Pollution Control Board and the Bihar government to clearly explain the reasons behind rising air pollution and quantify the contribution of various sources. The court asked for a detailed assessment of pollution caused by vehicles, dust particles, construction activities and other factors.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Alok Kumar Pandey took suo motu cognisance of a media report on air pollution and initiated proceedings. The court observed that vehicular emissions alone could not be so severe as to make it difficult for people to breathe clean air.
Court-appointed amicus curiae, senior advocate Shambhu Sharan Singh, told the bench that no authority was offering a clear explanation for the causes of air pollution. He said discussions were largely limited to control measures, without identifying the actual sources. Singh argued that banning vehicles older than 15 years would not significantly reduce pollution. Had this been effective, he said, pollution levels would have fallen after the government imposed such restrictions years ago, whereas pollution has instead increased.
On behalf of the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, senior advocate Shivendra Kishore informed the court that the government had been advised to promote CNG, PNG and electric vehicles to curb pollution. Government counsel Vikas Kumar added that water sprinkling was being carried out daily to control dust and that the operation of old vehicles had been completely banned. He also said diesel vehicles had been ordered to convert to CNG and that almost all commercial vehicles were now running on CNG.
The court, however, reiterated its concern and asked what exactly was causing the pollution and what proportion each source contributed. It questioned whether the Pollution Control Board had ever conducted a comprehensive survey in this regard. The court directed both the board and the state government to submit complete details. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for January 12, 2026.
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