Delhi's Pollution Crisis Serves as a Warning for Chennai: HC Urges Action
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The Madras High Court has sounded a warning to the Tamil Nadu government, urging it to take immediate action to prevent Chennai from facing a similar air pollution crisis as Delhi. The court has cited Delhi's recent experience, where escalating air quality has led to lockdowns, school closures, and severe health impacts, particularly for vulnerable groups. The court emphasized that Chennai cannot afford to delay ecological restoration, given its recurring extreme weather events, shrinking wetlands, and increasing pollution. The proposed ecological park project on a 160-acre plot of land is seen as an essential step in protecting Chennai from worsening pollution and climate-driven flooding. The court has cited previous Supreme Court judgments, highlighting the state's constitutional duty to protect citizens from climate-related harms and maintain ecological balance. By invoking Article 39(b) of the Constitution, the court stressed that material resources like urban land must serve the common good, not private interests. The High Court has vacated an interim order restraining the government from developing the ecological park, which is expected to provide 'lung spaces' and ecological buffers for the city, preventing it from entering a cycle of environmental crisis.
