Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court called out the State Health Department for filing a weak status report regarding the Byrnihat pollution crisis. Judges Revati Mohite Dere and Wanlura Diengdoh reviewed the July 20 filing during a suo motu PIL hearing. The bench slammed the submission as “sketchy” and said it failed to address the core problems facing the industrial hub.
Advocate General Amit Kumar asked for more time to prepare a better document. The court granted the request but ordered a high-level government official to show up at the next hearing. They also demanded that an officer from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board attend the proceedings.
The case stems from a CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute study. Researchers identified severe air quality drops and pinpointed specific industrial and vehicular emission hotspots. The report pushed for immediate cooperation between the Meghalaya and Assam governments to fix the damage.
Air and water quality in the region have plummeted. Data suggests respiratory illnesses in Byrnihat surged by 77 per cent. The court set July 23 for the next session to review the updated findings.
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