New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted 2 more months to the Centre to submit the report of the expert committee formed to determine benefits and hazards to passengers due to fumigation carried out inside aircrafts to ward off mosquitoes.
Centre submitted that the expert committee appointed after the 29th November 2019 needed more time to prepare its report as its work was delayed due to the COVID pandemic, following which the court deferred hearing on IndiGo Airlines' appeal for 7th September.
Over 2 years back, NGT had banned fumigation and spray of disinfectants inside aircrafts after a US-based neurologist had complained that disinfectants used in aircrafts increase risk of cancer, memory loss and auto-immune disorders like Parkinson's disease.
IndiGo Airlines contested this ruling in the top court, claiming that the airports in the following cities are infested with mosquitoes which cause vector-borne diseases: Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Patna, Lucknow, Raipur, Guwahati, Dehradun, Jaipur and Bhubaneswar.
Admitting IndiGo's appeal in July 2019, the Supreme Court had asked the Union Health Ministry to constitute a high-powered committee, on whose report Centre suggested formation of another 8-member committee of experts
having specialized domain knowledge to control vector-borne diseases.
The court had noted that the issue of disinfecting an aircraft involves need to take steps to prevent transmission of vector-borne diseases along with issues pertaining to the health of passengers and crew who may be exposed to
insecticides.
Based on Centre's recommendation, the apex court on 22nd November 2019 directed that the committee should enquire into all relevant aspects for need for disinsection of aircrafts as a measure designed to control the spread of vector borne diseases, including the following aspects:
-Need for disinsection of aircrafts, modalities to be followed.
-WHO recommendations, best practices followed internationally.
-Impact of disinsection on health and safety of passengers and crew.
-Steps required to protect health, safety of passengers and crew who may be exposed to disinsection.
Court had held that the committee would be at liberty to hear all the stakeholders, including representatives of the
airlines, which may be impacted by any decision. Union Health Ministry was asked to depute a senior officer as the Convenor of the committee, provide all logistical support and also seek a demonstration of the process of disinsection if needed to determine the efficacy of the process.
06/07/21 Abhimanyu Sharma/ETNowNews.com
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