Jharkhand High Court Cracks Down on Dhanbad's Air Pollution Crisis

The Jharkhand High Court has taken significant action concerning the alarming air pollution levels in Dhanbad. On Thursday, the court mandated senior officials, including the district's deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police, to present themselves before the court on April 2.

Amid heightened concerns, the division bench, comprising Chief Justice M S Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar, also requested the presence of the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) chairman-cum-managing director. The court's directive seeks to address rampant illegal mining contributing to the deteriorating air quality, highlighted by a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Gramin Ekta Manch.

The petitioner argued that illegal mining continues unchecked due to inadequate governmental measures. While BCCL shared initiatives like converting mines into public parks, legal actions seem lacking as numerous FIRs for illegal mining saw no consequential police or administrative follow-up.