Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Saryu Roy has asked Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) to execute the vision document prepared way back in 2012 for protection of environment and minimising air pollution. During a workshop on ‘Air Pollution: Crisis, Response and Action Plan’ on Saturday, the Minister said that the Government needed to take harsh action against those violating environment norms and polluting air in the State. The workshop organised by Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) and Yugantar Bharti saw experts from Greenpeace India, LIFE, Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) and others and delegates from various organizations working on similar causes converging to discuss air pollution level in the State and how to deal with an issue which was directly associated with public health and conservation of earth itself. “It is disappointing to know that even after Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board being the only State body in the country to come out with a vision document for curbing air pollution, nothing concrete has been translated into action so far. If we are really concerned about public, visions must come out of documents,” said Roy. He also criticised Greenpeace India for presenting far-fetched and twisted data about pollution level in Jharkhand, presented by the organisation’s Campaigner Sunil Dahiya, who otherwise nicely put air pollution data in perspective and helped think tank present there in deciding way forward. Roy said that the air pollution level had been shooting to alarming level in the State. “I keep posting pictures of industrial chimneys releasing poisonous smoke in air. But before the government could take any action against it, I receive a call or message from one of the well-wishers of concerned company who starts counting difficulties in running his business. This is the true picture in the State as far as air pollution is concerned,” Roy said. Dahiya said that cluster mining, unplanned industrialization and residential waste burning were key factors for taking air pollution level in the state to near-alarming situation. He also presented data from across the globe and compared it in Indian perspective to reveal ground reality in the State and other parts of the country. Roy also said that the government needed to take stringent action against anyone violating green norms and polluting air. However, JSPCB Chairman AK Pandey said that the negligence that the organization had been facing from the government at manpower and funds front kept its plans merely plans. Ritwick Dutta from LIFE came out with interesting facts about some of the rulings of National Green Tribunal (NGT) in connection with pollution level in national Capital region crossing all limits during last year winters. He counted reasons about how and why Indian cities infamously acquired 13 positions among 20 most air-polluted cities in world with Delhi leading the list followed by Patna. Ankita Jyoti from CEED discussed difficulties in acquiring authentic data about air pollution level in Bihar and Jharkhand in absence of infrastructural support. She said that lack of real time data in the State was one of the major obstacles coming in the way of fighting with air-pollution. She also said that the governments also appeared reluctant about the issue until recently about measures to be taken to combat air pollution.