MUMBAI, 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. Terming it a breach of court orders, the judges warned that they may pass directions preventing the commissioner from drawing his salary "till further orders", adding that he ought to have been suspended. The court later clarified that the remark was intended as a warning to the civic chief. The bench also reprimanded the BMC for not taking rigorous and effective steps to control pollution levels. When asked what action it had taken over the past six months, the corporation claimed it had been following all required measures. The court, however, remained unconvinced and told the civic body that it had not done enough, stressing that air quality management was its statutory responsibility. Senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for city-based environmental group Vanashakti, told the court that no issue could be prioritised above air quality at present and urged the bench to fix accountability. He suggested setting up a hyper-local air monitoring system arguing that the "lackadaisical attitude" of authorities would not change unless someone was held personally responsible. Supporting the submissions, senior advocate Darius Khambata, appointed amicus curiae, informed the court that a five-member expert committee constituted by the bench had identified 36 locations across Mumbai within weeks to collect data and assess ground-level contributors to pollution. He said the committee's intervention had been necessary to spur the administration into action. While the BMC denied the allegations and maintained that it was following standard protocols to record AQI, the court called the matter a serious concern, stating that the authorities were offering excuses instead of answers. The bench noted poor implementation of measures such as installing air quality monitors at construction sites and directed the BMC to submit month-wise records from monitoring devices across the city. Directing all authorities to comply with previous orders, the court warned of strict consequences for non-compliance and posted the matter for further hearing on January 27....