NGT gives environment management plan nod for AIIMS Delhi

NGT asked for measures suggested by the committee be taken up in a time-bound manner and formed two more committees

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday approved an environment management plan for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi — formulated by an expert committee it appointed in March this year — to explore ways to reduce air pollution in and around the institute.

The plan is aimed at exploring ways to reduce air pollution in and around AIIMS Delhi.

NGT asked for measures suggested by the committee be taken up in a time-bound manner and formed two more committees – an eight-member joint committee to implement and form an action plan for the area outside AIIMS and a five-member committee headed by the secretary of the Union health ministry to an prepare these for government district hospitals and larger hospitals, including medical colleges in the country.

In the order dated July 3, the bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel said it saw no objection in the joint committee’s report and issued directions to implement it.

Referring to the committee’s recommendations for measures inside the AIIMS campus, which included plantation work, waste management, regulating visitor footfalls, and the nature of vehicles entering the premises, NGT said the AIIMS director would be responsible for its implementation.

In a statement, AIIMS said the NGT decision comes as a relief to the patients visiting AIIMS and to the residents in the vicinity, suffering from the adverse effects of pollution in the area.

“Working towards creating a healthier environment for its patients and staff, AIIMS has agreed to procure electric vehicles and expand its shuttle services to major public transport alighting points in the vicinity,” the institute said on Tuesday.