CNG sputters on
the Supreme Court's (sc) order to convert public buses in Delhi from diesel to compressed natural gas (cng) mode has had a snowballing effect throughout India. Citing Delhi as an example, civil society groups and concerned citizens are increasingly approaching their respective high courts demanding the right to clean air.
It happened first in Mumbai. Sandip Rane, a cardiologist, filed a public interest litigation petition in the high court. The petition resulted in an order for the conversion of diesel taxis and three-wheelers to cng. This was followed by Kolkata and Andhra Pradesh where state governments took the initiative.
The latest in this civil upsurge is an affidavit filed in the High Court of Kerala. It seeks measures to prevent the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (ksrtc) from plying polluting buses. The petitioner is Sathyavan Kottarakkara from the Vidyabhyasa Suraksha Samithi, a forum for environmental awareness and safety.
The petition, admitted on September 30, pleads that the ksrtc should not ply vehicles without