Threatens drastic action if emissions exceed permissible limits The National Green Tribunal (NGT) will monitor measures taken to prevent air pollution caused due to spread of coal dust to Old City and other areas of the city and directed AP Pollution Control Board and Visakhapatnam Port Trust to submit it status reports once in a quarter. In response to a PIL filed by Chaitanya Sravanthi, an NGO, NGT in its order recently sought quarterly status reports on air ambient quality in different areas and mark a copy to the petitioner. Stating that the authorities should stick to the deadline (December, 2018) set to control the pollution, it threatened to step in with serious action if the respondents failed to control pollution. NGT said: “We make it clear that if we find any slackness in implementing the plan and neglecting the pollution control measures (as per permissible limits) and if there is no perceptible reduction of dust emission and improvement of the air quality, we will be constrained to invoke ‘Polluter Pays’ principle and even restraining the respondent port trust from handling coal cargo. The order was issued by Justice Dr. P. Jyothimani, judicial member and P.S. Rao, expert member. Order hailed Describing the order as ‘historic in coming to the rescue of pollution sufferers,’ former IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma, Chaitanya Sravanthi founder Shirin Rehman and vice-president Vijay Shankar said now the onus lies on APPCB and VPT to bring everything within permissible limits failing which it should shutdown coal handling operations. Making it very clear that they were not advocating the closure of the port, Dr. Shirin Rehman said sustainable development should be ensured with stringent measures to keep pollution under check. Mr. Sarma, a social activist, said as part of ‘Polluter Payer’ principle the government as well as the port should pay compensation for respiratory and dermatological ailments being caused to the residents of Old Town and other areas in the city due to coal dust. Coal is brought in large quantity to the port to supply to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, NTPC Simhadri Thermal Power Plant and some other companies.