Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

Facts for Prelims

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

News: Recently, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued directions to ban the use of coal in industrial, domestic and other miscellaneous applications in the entire Delhi-NCR region from 1st January 2023.

About:
• The Commission was first formed by an ordinance in October 2020.
• The erstwhile Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, or EPCA had been dissolved to make way for the Commission.
• The Commission will be a statutory authority.
• The Commission will supersede bodies such as the central and state pollution control boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.

Composition:
• The Chairperson of the commission will be a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief Secretary.
• The chairperson will hold the post for three years or until s/he attains the age of 70 years.
• It will have members from several Ministries as well as representatives from the stakeholder States.
• It will have experts from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Civil Society.

Powers and Functions:
• It will have the powers to issue directions to these state governments on issues pertaining to air pollution.
• It will entertain complaints as it deems necessary for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the air in the NCR and adjoining areas.
• It will also lay down parameters for control of air pollution.
• It will also be in charge of identifying violators, monitoring factories and industries and any other polluting unit in the region, and will have the powers to shut down such units.
• It will also have the powers to overrule directives issued by the state governments in the region, that may be in violation of pollution norms.