Delhi HC asks logistics firm to pay Rs 12.5 cr for installing smog tower

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday observed that the national Capital is gasping for breath on account of high levels of air pollution and directed a logistics company, which had concealed the information regarding its blacklisting in a tender matter, to deposit Rs 12.5 crore to be utilised for installation of a smog tower here. The high court said the Air Quality Index level during the COVID-19 period showed a decline due to lockdown and halting of industrial activities, however, now that the commercial activities are going back to the pre-COVID level. We are on the same path of the air quality becoming very poor and severe, it said.

This requires urgent preventive, adaptive, and mitigative steps to be taken for the purposes of inter-generational equity. We are of the view that this amount of Rs 12.5 crores should be ploughed back to the society for reducing the air pollution levels, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh said.