Air pollution: The Supreme Court on Friday (November 10) talked tough on the issue of air pollution and asked the governments to stop farm fires stating that some emergency measures are required to do so to better the air quality which has been hovering around ‘Very Poor’ to ‘Severe’ categories in the last one week in the national capital. The Supreme Court also said that the pollution levels “must come down” and it “cannot await tomorrow”. The top court was hearing the matter related to the implementation of the odd-even scheme in Delhi. The city’s air quality improved slightly this morning following the overnight rain which brought down the AQI from the ‘Severe’ category to the ‘Very Poor’ category.
Here are the key points from the hearing:
- Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul referred to the rain in the national capital region in the early hours of Friday and said that the people have to pray only, sometimes wind comes and helps, and sometimes rains. “God may have heard the prayers of people and intervened, no thanks to the government,” Justice Kaul said.
- Supreme Court made it clear that it wants farm fires to stop. “We suggested a methodology, you do it however you want. But farm fires must be stopped. Some emergency measures are required to stop the farm fires,” the Supreme Court said.
- Supreme Court asked Centre and Punjab government about what steps they are taking as a long-term measure to slowly phase out paddy to restore the water table in Punjab. “We want farm fires stopped, we want air quality to get better. It’s your business how it occurs,” the top court said.
- Supreme Court observed that the farmers are also a part of society and they have to be more responsible, and we have to be more responsive to their needs. “But people cannot be made to die,” it said.
- Supreme Court said that the farmers are very well organised in Punjab and asks the government why it doesn’t talk to the farmer’s bodies and motivate them. “The pollution level must come down, it cannot await tomorrow,” the top court said.
- On Delhi government’s submission that it will finalise policy on odd-even after Supreme Court’s order, the Supreme Court said, “Don’t try to not perform and then shift the burden on to the court”.
- The Supreme Court expressed concern on the reducing groundwater in Punjab and said that there is a need to phase out paddy cultivation in the state. “Water table in Punjab is going down. We don’t want another desert there. Phasing out of paddy is needed,” the SC observed.
(With ANI inputs)
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