India, Jan. 24 -- The Bombay High Court on Friday came down heavily on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) for their continued failure to curb air pollution, warning that it could stop the NMMC commissioner's salary for non-compliance with court directions.

The court was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated in 2023, along with a batch of intervention applications filed recently amid a sharp deterioration in air quality across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

During the hearing, the bench took serious exception to an affidavit filed by the NMMC's City Engineer on January 20, observing that it was meant to be submitted by the NMMC commissioner himself. Termi...