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PETITIONER: M.C. MEHTA ETC. ETC.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS ETC. ETC.

DATE OF JUDGMENT15/05/1992

BENCH: MISRA, RANGNATH (CJ) BENCH: MISRA, RANGNATH (CJ) KANIA, M.H. KULDIP SINGH (J)

CITATION:  1991 SCR  (1) 866        1991 SCC  (2) 353  JT 1991 (1)   620        1991 SCALE  (1)427

ACT:      Constitution of India, 1950:      Article 32-Environmental and air pollution-Control  of- Operation  of mechanical crushers-Stoppage  of-Allotment  of sites in the newly set-up crushing zone-Directions issued.

HEADNOTE:      Writ   Petitions   were  filed   before   this   Court, challenging  the  action of the  owners/proprietors  of  the stone-crushers  whereby stone-dust and smoke was allowed  to pass into the air, and due to pollution, lives of the people living  in some parts of South Delhi, especially rural,  and workers, their families living at the site as well as people living in the villages bordering Haryana were suffering from different  diseases  and  their lives were  in  danger,  and praying for issue of writ of mandamus and directions to  the respondents and authorities concerned to take steps to  stop pollution,  and provide necessary medical facilities to  the affected persons.      Giving  directions,  reasons for which to  be  followed later, this Court,      HELD  :  1. Environmental changes  are  the  inevitable consequence  of industrial development in our country,  but, at  the  same  time the quality  of  environment  cannot  be permitted to be damaged by polluting the Air, Water and Land to  such an extent that it becomes a health-hazard  for  the residents  of  the area.  The authorities concerned  in  the Union  Territories of Delhi have been wholly re-miss in  the performance  of  their statutory duties and have  failed  to protect  the  environment and control air-pollution  in  the Union  Territory of Delhi.  Utter disregard  to  environment has  placed  Delhi  in  unenviable  position  of  being  the world’s third grubbiest, most polluted and unhealthy city as per  a  study conducted by the  World  Health  Organisation. Needless to say that every citizen has a right to fresh  air and to live in pollution-free environment. [359 F-H, 360 A]      2.  It is, therefore, directed that (a) the  mechanical stone crushers                                                        358 established/operating  in Lal Kuan, Anand  Parbat,  Rajokri, Tughlakabad  and  in any other area of  Union  territory  of

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Delhi and also in Suraj Kund, Lakhanpur, Lakkarpur,  Kattan, Gurukul,  Badkhal,  Pallinangla,  Saraikhaja,  Anangpur  and Ballabgarh     areas     of     Haryana     should      stop operating/functioning  with effect from August 15, 1992  and no  stone crusher will operate in the above said areas  from August 15, 1992 onward; (b) the stone crushers in the  Union territory of Delhi/Faridabad-Ballabgarh Complex which do not have  valid  licences from the Authorities under  the  Delhi Municipal    Corporation   Act,    1957/Faridabad    Complex Administration  (Regulations and Development) Act,  1971  or from  any  other authority which the law requires,  and  the stone    crushers,    in   respect   of    which    closure- orders/directions have been issued by the Central  Pollution Control  Board  under  Section 31A of  Air  (Prevention  and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 or by the Central Government under  Section 5 of the Environment (Protection  Act,  1956, should stop functioning/operating with immediate effect; (c) the authorities concerned should ensure compliance of  these order;  and  (d) the authorities concerned of the  State  of Haryana  should  demarcate,  and  allot  the  sites  to  the aforesaid  stone  crushers in the newly  approved  ’crushing zone’  at  village  Pali  -  set  up  with  the  object   of rehabilitating  the  existing stone-crushers who  are  being stopped  from functioning as a result of the orders of  this Court  - by draw of lots or by any other fair and  equitable method, and also to provide additional land in or around the "crushing zone" if there is not sufficient land in the  said zone to accommodate all the stone crushers affected by  this Court’s  orders  within a period of six months.  A  progress report  in  this respect should be sent to the  Registry  of this Court before July 31, 1992. [360 B-C, E-H, 361 A-G]      3.  Some  Writ  Petitions, which  were  filled  by  the owners/proprietors of stone-crushers in the Delhi High Court and which have been directed to be transferred to this Court are dismissed. [360 E]

JUDGMENT:      ORIGINAL  JURISDICTION : Writ Petition (C)  No.4677  of 1985.      (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India).                          WITH      T.C.(C) No. 75-89/91 W.P.(C) No.521/87 T.P.(C)  No.245- 50/91.      M.C. Mehta Petitioner-in-person.                                                        359      Satish   Chander,  Hardev  Singh,  P.N.  Duda,   B.R.L. Iyengar, P.P. Rao, V.C. Mahajan,  S.S. Chadha, R. Mohan, Ms. Rekha Pandey, K.B. Rohtagi, S.K. Dhingra, Shashank  Shekhar, Vishnu Mathur, Vijay Pandita, Randhir Jain, N.S. Bisht,  Ms. Seema  Midha,  K.R.R. Pillai, R.S. Suri,  R.B.  Misra,  C.V. Subba  Rao, Kailash Vasdev, V.B. Saharya, Ranjit  Kumar,  R. Sridharan,  Ms.  Indu Malhotra, P.K. Jain, I.S.  Goyal,  Dr. A.M.  Singhvi,  R. Sasiprabhu, Ms. Anil   Katiyar  and  B.Y. Kulkarni for the appearing parties.      The following Order of the Court was delivered:      We  reserved  judgment in these matters  on  April  24, 1992.    We  heard  learned  counsel  for  the  parties   at considerable  length  for several days. We have  been  taken through the provisions of Delhi Development Act 1957, Master Plan  for  Delhi  published in the Gazette  of  India  dated August   1,  1990,  Delhi  Development  Authority   (Zoning) Regulations,  1983,  Delhi Municipal Corporation  Act  1957, Faridabad    Complex   Administration    (Regulations    and

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Development)  Act,  1971,   The  Development  Plan  for  the Faridabad-Ballabgarh  Controlled  Areas  published  in   the Haryana   Government  Gazette dated December 17,  1991,  Air (Prevention   and  Control  of  Pollution)  Act  1981,   The Environment  (Protection Act) 1986, National Health  Policy, 1985,  Ancient Monuments Act, 1958, National Capital  Region Planning  Board  Act,  1985  and  various  other   documents including  reports  of  the Experts  on  Air  Pollution  and environments.   The parties have submitted detailed  written arguments  which we have taken into consideration.  We  have given  our thoughful consideration to the various  arguments advanced by the learned counsel for the parties.      We  are  conscious that environmental changes  are  the inevitable  consequence  of industrial  development  in  our country,  but  at the same time the quality  of  environment cannot  be  permitted to be damaged by  polluting  the  Air, Water  and Land to such an extent that it becomes a  health- hazard for the residents of the area.  We are constrained to record   that   Delhi   Development   Authority,   Municipal Corporation  of Delhi, Central Pollution Control  Board  and Delhi  Pollution Control Committee have been wholly  re-miss in the performance of their statutory duties and have failed to protect the environments and control air-pollution in the Union  Territory of Delhi.  Utter disregard  to  environment has  placed  Delhi in an unenviable position  of  being  the world’s third grubbiest, most polluted and unhealthy city as per  a  study conducted by the  World  Health  Organisation. Needless                                                        360 to  say that every citizen has a right to fresh air  and  to live in pollution-free environments.      For  the  reasons to be recorded and  pronounced  at  a later stage we order and direct as under:-          (1)      The     mechanical     stone      crushers          established/operating  in Lal Kuan,  Anand  Parbat,          Rajokri, Tughlakabad and in any other area of Union          territory of Delhi shall stop operating/functioning          with effect from August 15, 1992.  No stone crusher          shall operate in the Union territory of Delhi  from          August 15, 1992 onward.          (2)      The     mechanical     stone      crushers          established/operating  in  Suraj  Kund,  Lakhanpur,          Lakkarpur,  Kattan, Gurukul, Badkhal,  Pallinangla,          Saraikhaja,   Anangpur  and  Ballabgarh  areas   of          Haryana   shall  stop  operating/functioning   with          effect  from  August 15, 1992.   No  stone  crusher          shall  operate in the above said area  form  August          15, 1992 onward.          (3)    The    writ   petitions   filed    by    the          owners/proprietors of stone crushers in Delhi  High          Court  which  have been transferred to  this  Court          shall stand dismissed with no order as to costs.          (4)  The Stone crushers in the Union  territory  of          Delhi/Faridabad-Ballabgarh  Complex  which  do  not          have valid licences from the Authorities under  the          Delhi  Municipal  Corporation  Act   1957/Faridabad          Complex     Administration     (Regulations     and          Development)  Act 1971 or from any other  authority          which the law requires, shall stop functioning  and          operating with immediate effect.          (5)  The  stone  crushers,  in  respect  of   which          closure-orders/directions  have been issued by  the          Central  Pollution Control Board under Section  31A          of  Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution)  Act,          1981  or by the Central Government under Section  5

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        of  the  Environment (Protection) Act  1956,  shall          stop functioning/operation  with  immediate effect.          (6)  The  Delhi Development Authority  through  its          Vice  Chairman  and  Commissioner  (Planning),  the          Delhi Municipal Cor-                                                        361          poration   through  its   Commissioner,   Faridabad          Complex    Administration   through    its    Chief          Administrator,  Director Town and Country  Planning          Department,    Haryana     Deputy     Commissioner,          Faridabad,  Haryana  Urban  Development   Authority          through  its Commissioner/Chief Executive,  Central          Pollution   Control   Board  through   its   Member          Secretary, Central Government under the Environment          (Protection  Act) 1986 and the Commissioner  Police          Delhi are directed to ensure the compliance of  our          above orders.          (7)  The officers of the Town and Country  Planning          Department, Government of Haryana, who were present          in  Court, informed us that a new  "crushing  zone"          has  been approved at village Pali and the lay  out          Plan  has  been prepared and is in the  process  of          demarcation   by  the  Haryana  Urban   Development          Authority.   The said "crushing zone" has been  set          up  with the object of rehabilitating the  existing          stone   crushers   who  are  being   stopped   from          functioning  as  a  result  of  our  orders.    We,          therefore, direct the State of Haryana through  the          Director,  Town  and Country  Planning  Department,          Haryana,   Chandigarh,  the  Chief   Administrator,          Faridabad   Complex  Administration,   the   Deputy          Commissioner,  Faridabad  and  the  Haryana   Urban          Development  Authority to demarcate, and allot  the          sites  to  the stone crushers  mentioned  in  paras          1,2,4  and 5 above by draw of lots or by any  other          fair and equitable method.  We further direct these          authorities to provide additional land in or around          the "crushing zone" if there is not sufficient land          in  the  said  zone to accommodate  all  the  stone          crushers  affected  by our  orders.  This  exercise          shall  be completed and plots offered to the  stone          crushers within a period of six months from  today.          The Director, Town and Country Planning Department,          Haryana,  Chandigarh is further directed to send  a          progress  report  to  the Registry  of  this  Court          before July 31, 1992 in this respect.          (8)  We make it clear that our orders contained  in          paras  1,2,4 and 5 above are in absolute terms  and          are   not   dependent  or  consequential   to   our          directions in para 7 above.                                                        362      We  are not finally disposing of the writ  petition  at this  stage  and  we keep it pending  for  the  purposes  of monitoring the above directions.  To be listed on August  5, 1992.      The copies of this order be sent to all the Authorities mentioned in paras 6 and 7 above within two days. N.P.V.                                     Reasons to follow.                                                        363