Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 established the CAQM as a statutory body. A key structural feature of the CAQM is that its directions and decisions override those of state pollution control boards (like the Delhi Pollution Control Committee) and other state-level bodies within its jurisdiction — a power hierarchy that gives it overriding authority rather than merely advisory status. Statement 2 is correct. PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 µm) is scientifically recognised as more dangerous than PM10 because its extremely fine size enables it to bypass the upper respiratory tract's natural filters and penetrate deep into the alveoli of the lungs, entering the bloodstream. This is the basis for setting separate, stricter ambient standards for PM2.5 under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Statement 3 is false. The CPCB does set National Ambient Air Quality Standards under the Air Act, 1981, but the claim that CPCB's role is rendered 'exclusively advisory' in Delhi-NCR by the CAQM is an overstatement of the CAQM's mandate. The CAQM coordinates and supersedes state-level bodies on specific matters of air quality management, but the CPCB retains independent statutory functions — including standard-setting and monitoring — and is not merely advisory nationally or in Delhi-NCR. The falsity lies in misrepresenting the legal relationship as one of complete CPCB displacement.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: CAQM is a statutory body established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021. A defining feature of CAQM is that its directions override those of any State Government, SPCB, or other statutory body operating in the NCR and adjoining areas — giving it hierarchical supremacy over pollution-control institutions within its jurisdiction. Pair 2 is correctly matched: CPCB was constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. It also discharges functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. CPCB is the apex central body for pollution monitoring and standard-setting across India. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is the pollution-control body for the National Capital Territory of Delhi only. It does not have jurisdiction over Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, or Rajasthan. Those states have their own State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs). CAQM's directions require the respective SPCBs (for Haryana, UP, Rajasthan) and DPCC (for Delhi) to monitor compliance each within their own jurisdictions — confirming that DPCC's writ runs only within Delhi.

Explanation

All three statements reflect accurately established legal positions. First, the NGT Act, 2010 empowers the Tribunal to take suo motu cognizance of environmental matters — it is not limited to party-filed applications, and the Tribunal regularly acts on media reports or suo motu references, as demonstrated in the Upper Lake case. Second, the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 prohibit activities that alter the ecological character of notified wetlands; solid waste dumping, earth-filling, and construction debris within a wetland's Full Tank Level area are squarely covered by these prohibitions, and the NGT can direct compliance and remediation. Third, the CRZ Notification (currently the 2019 CRZ Notification under the Environment Protection Act, 1986) designates CRZ-I as the most sensitive coastal zone and prohibits new construction or reclamation therein; NDZ areas within CRZ-III are similarly protected from development. Any construction or bund-building in these zones without prior clearance from the Coastal Zone Management Authority is unlawful, and the CRZ clearance can be withheld until illegal structures are removed — precisely the enforcement mechanism applied in the Kachchh case.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: GRAP operates on an incremental or cumulative principle — when the AQI deteriorates to a higher category and a higher stage is triggered, all lower-stage measures continue to apply alongside the new stage's restrictions. This 'stacking' design ensures that earlier safeguards are never lifted merely because conditions worsen further. Statement 2 is correct: The CAQM was established by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 — a Parliamentary statute — making it a statutory body. It superseded the EPCA, which had previously been tasked with GRAP implementation following Supreme Court directions. Statement 3 is incorrect: The AQI thresholds are inverted in this statement. Stage I is triggered when the AQI is in the 'Poor' category (201–300), Stage II by 'Very Poor' (301–400), Stage III by 'Severe' (401–450), and Stage IV by 'Severe+' (above 450). Confusing Stage I with 'Severe' and Stage III with 'Poor' reflects a reversal of the graded schedule.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: CAQM was established as a statutory body under the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021. Its directions are binding on all concerned authorities and persons in the region — they do not require ratification by any other body to carry legal force. The Commission can issue, modify, and enforce directions directly, as illustrated by its issuance and subsequent amendment of Direction No. 98 on PM emission standards. Statement 2 is incorrect and represents a common misconception: CAQM is not subordinate to CPCB, nor are its directions contingent on CPCB ratification. On the contrary, CAQM supersedes the jurisdiction of CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards in matters relating to air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas. CPCB's role is technical and recommendatory in relation to CAQM — CAQM considers CPCB's recommendations but retains independent statutory authority. Statement 3 is correct: CAQM's mandate geographically encompasses the National Capital Region (spanning multiple states such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan beyond Delhi), and it coordinates with State Pollution Control Boards of NCR States as well as the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to implement and monitor compliance with air quality norms.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. CAQM was established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 — it is a statutory body with a legislative mandate to coordinate and supervise air quality management across the Delhi-NCR airshed, superseding earlier ad hoc bodies. Statement 2 is incorrect. CAQM's recommendations carry statutory weight, and the Supreme Court has explicitly directed government agencies — including the MCD, Delhi government, and neighbouring states — to implement CAQM recommendations without entertaining objections to them. Far from being merely advisory, the recommendations have been incorporated into binding court orders, and non-compliance has led to further judicial directions.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: CAQM was established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, and its directions carry statutory force — they are legally binding on all bodies within its jurisdiction, a significant upgrade over the predecessor EPCA which lacked such statutory backing. Statement 2 is correct: the CAQM Act empowers the Commission to issue statutory directions that can delegate enforcement powers — including the power to prosecute violators before a Judicial Magistrate — to Urban Local Bodies and Municipal Corporations within the NCR, as illustrated by the expansion of such powers to additional ULBs for dust-control enforcement at C&D sites. Statement 3 is false on two counts: GRAP is not triggered by market mechanisms — it is an emergency response framework activated by administrative decision based on Air Quality Index (AQI) thresholds, and CAQM has a direct statutory role in its implementation and enforcement, including issuing directions specifically referencing the GRAP Schedule for C&D activities. The GRAP framework predates CAQM (it was originally developed by EPCA and approved by the Supreme Court), but CAQM now oversees and enforces it under statutory authority.