'Charcoal Is A Polluting Fuel': MPCB; HC Refuses Relief To Bombay Charcoal Merchants Association

Mumbai, July 13, 2026: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) informed the Bombay High Court on Monday that charcoal, which is widely used in furnaces at hotels, restaurants and bakeries, is a polluting fuel that emits toxic gases.

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HC Declines Interim Relief

Taking note of the submission, a bench of Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata refused to grant any interim relief to charcoal traders and establishments using the fuel.

The court was hearing an intervention application filed by the Bombay Charcoal Merchants Association (BCMA), contending that it was not heard before the order was passed against it. The application was filed last year in a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation initiated by the High Court in relation to increasing air pollution in the city.

Following the application, in March last year, the High Court asked the MPCB to consider the points raised by the association.

MPCB Defends Stand

During the hearing on Monday, Senior Advocate Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, appearing for the MPCB, submitted the Board's report stating that charcoal emits carbon monoxide, methane and black carbon, making it hazardous and contributing to air pollution.

The petitioners argued that it was not financially viable for all hotels and restaurants to switch to LPG. They also pointed out that during the recent war-like situation, gas shortages had forced many establishments to rely on coal and charcoal to continue operations. Maintaining that charcoal is not a polluting fuel, they sought permission to file an additional affidavit.

Unconvinced, the bench asked: "What will you achieve by filing an additional affidavit? Will it reduce air pollution?"

Justice Khata observed that if the MPCB had concluded that charcoal emitted toxic gases and avoiding its use would reduce pollution, there was no reason to object. He added that the government had taken a policy decision keeping the larger public interest in mind.

Court Questions Association

The court was informed that a high-level committee constituted by the High Court had held 22 meetings on the issue and submitted a preliminary report along with four additional reports. Pursuant to an earlier court order, the MPCB had also heard the petitioners. Kumbhakoni said they had remained absent from one of those meetings.

The bench noted that the petitioners had already been given an opportunity to present their case but failed to avail themselves of it. Noting that their representatives were absent during the MPCB hearings, the court questioned on what basis the association was seeking another opportunity.

According to the MPCB report, incomplete combustion of charcoal releases carbon monoxide, methane and black carbon, increasing pollution and posing health risks. It also noted that charcoal requires dry, well-ventilated storage and that there is no effective mechanism to detect adulteration with other fuels.

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While acknowledging that no independent scientific study has yet been conducted on charcoal emissions, the MPCB recommended that the use of charcoal in restaurants, furnaces and tandoors be phased out in a time-bound manner.

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