NEW DELHI, Nov 7: Amid a spike in pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure crop residue burning was stopped “forthwith”, saying it cannot let “people die” due to pollution.
Questioning the Delhi government’s odd-even car rationing scheme, which is aimed at curbing pollution and is scheduled to be enforced in the city from November 13 to 20, the apex court asked about its effectiveness and termed it “all optics”.
“I am sorry, this is complete murder of health of people, there is no other phrase I have,” said Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who was heading the bench which also comprised Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.
Another bench of the top court comprising Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh, which was dealing with the firecrackers ban matter, clarified on Tuesday that the top court’s order banning firecrackers containing barium binds every state and was not just limited to Delhi-NCR.
The Justice Kaul-led bench also took a stern view of states trying to shift blame to one another for the pollution and observed there cannot be “political battle” all the time.
While hearing a matter pertaining to the debilitating air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), the bench flagged issues like crop residue burning, vehicular pollution and burning of waste in the open were the major contributors to pollution during this time of the year.
The top court is seized of a plea filed in 1985 by environmentalist M C Mehta on air pollution and the issue of crop residue burning had cropped up during the hearing of the matter.
Expressing concern over widespread stubble burning which were not stopping following paddy harvest, the bench said, “The concern is this… these farm fires are not stopping. What action the states are taking to stop the farm fires?” “Delhi cannot be made to go through this year after year,” it said.
The bench directed the Delhi government to ensure that municipal solid wastes were not burnt in the open in the city.
On the issue of stubble burning, the counsel appearing for Punjab claimed incidents of crop residue burning have come down by 40 per cent since last year.
It said residents of Delhi have been grappling with health issues at this time of the year, year after year, because a solution to the problem has not been found. The bench, which asked the chairman of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to remain present before it on the next date of hearing, said it wanted smog towers to be operationalised and asked the authorities to take immediate steps for it.
It also asked the Delhi government to consider that only taxis registered in the city ply on roads here. (PTI)