The Supreme Court has directed the Ministry of Power, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to jointly prepare a coordinated action plan for reduction of carbon emissions from the power generation sector.
The Bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Atul S Chandurkar recently directed the three bodies to file a joint affidavit within four weeks detailing the applicable legal framework and the proposed steps to address emissions.
Impleading CEA and CERC as party respondents under Sections 70 and 76 of the Electricity Act, 2003, the Apex Court observed that all stakeholders, including those in the process of power generation, transmission and distribution as well as the regulators, must be on the same platform to discuss, formulate and implement the plan systematically and consistently for achieving both short-term and long-term goals.
The top court of the country said on it was equally necessary to ensure that the policy makers were attuned with ground realities and the difficulties of the regulatory and executory machinery.
The order was passed on a public interest litigation filed in 2021 by 17-year-old child activist Ridhima Pandey, challenging the Government of India’s approach to address climate change.
Pandey had approached the National Green Tribunal in 2017, raising concerns over the approval given to carbon-intensive projects without proper climate impact assessments. She sought a national climate recovery plan and a carbon budget to limit emissions til 2050. The Tribunal dismissed her appeal in 2019.
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