(a) whether the Government have received the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) reports on air quality in Delhi ;
(b) if so, the findings thereof ; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure that Central Pollution Control Board acts with independence and scientific facts without recourse to avoidable misleading deductions aimed at self praise resulting in misguiding the public ?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRI BABU LAL MARANDI)
(a) & (b) The finding of the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) in respect of air pollution is based on monitoring done in limited area. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been monitoring air quality at a number of locations through a network of ambient air quality monitoring stations in Delhi. The air quality data of Delhi, as being monitored by CPCB, has indicated a downward trend in comparison to 1998 air quality data.
(c) The Central Pollution Control Board constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, has a strong complement of scientific and technical personnel. It is equipped with the requisite infrastructural facilities for pollution monitoring including continuous automatic stations. The monitoring reports are widely disseminated including electronic media (Internet).