Nitish Kashyap and Anuj Agrawal .With the Mumbai Port Trust categorically stating before the Bombay High Court that it would no longer be involved in handling coal, the city’s air pollution may take a turn for the better..The submissions were made before a Division Bench of VM Kanade and Dere JJ in a PIL filed by former RBS India Chief, Meera Sanyal and Vice Admiral (Retd) I C Rao. The petitioners had essentially asked for the stoppage of coal handling at Haji Bunder, a port located in the southern part of Mumbai city..It was argued that this coal handling (stockpiling and transport of coal) had led to a severe deterioration of the city’s air quality. The Bombay High Court agreed, and in October last year, the Port Trust had said that they would be discontinuing this practice with “immediate effect”..However, it was the petitioner’s contention that this directive was not implemented. Hence, the matter came up before court again..Today, the counsel for the Port Trust said that only 70,000 tons (out of 155,000 tons) remain on the trust premises at Haji Bunder, and that the same would be removed soon. The counsel also said that the trust would no longer be involved in handling coal. Represented by advocate Kusumakar Kaushik, the petitioners stressed that removal of coal must be time-bound..Referring to a recent article in the Indian Express, Kanade J. said that dust was a major contributor to particulate matter, with vehicular pollution way down the order. The judge also expressed some concern about the stand taken by the government in this matter..“As it is, the quality of the air [in Mumbai] is going down. I don’t know if the government or the [municipal] corporation is serious on working on this problem.”.Sanyal, in an article highlighted the great threat the coal mountains pose to Mumbaikars..“A survey conducted by the International Institute of Respiratory Studies (IIPS) had a shocking statistic— 89.6 % of people living in the slums of Mumbai Metropolitan Region die of respiratory diseases. There are no surveys for housing societies, but we all breathe the same air and no matter where we live or how much we earn, we are all equally at risk.” .Speaking to Bar & Bench, Meera Sanyal said that this was a significant victory for the people of Mumbai and that the petitioners were deeply grateful to the Bombay High Court..“[Chief Justice] Shah had directed that our petition be treated as a representation before the authorities. The hearings were swift and the directions are unambiguous. [Coal handling] is a clear and present danger in this city and we are eternally grateful to the High Court.”
