The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday declined to impose a nationwide ban on asbestos cement roofing sheets used in schools but ordered strict safety measures, worker protection, and a phase-out review, citing health and environmental concerns.

The order was passed by the bench of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad in a case filed by Dr Raja Singh, a visiting faculty member at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi . He had sought directions to prohibit the use of asbestos roofs in schools, arguing that the material deteriorates over time, releasing fibres that can cause lung diseases such as cancer , mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

Dr Singh referred to a 2022 study in Nature Scientific Reports, which found that activity inside asbestos-roof

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