Delhi air pollution must stop, don't care how: Supreme Court pulls up Delhi, Punjab, UP, Rajasthan

The Supreme Court of India, on Tuesday, November 7, demanded immediate action to combat the critical issue of air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR)

The bench emphasized that the alarming air pollution poses a severe threat to public health, labelling it the "murder of people's health." The court chastised the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan for their handling of stubble burning and emphasized that Delhi should not have to endure severe air pollution each year.

Why?

• This move follows concerns over the contribution of crop residue burning in neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, to the deteriorating air quality in the national capital.
  The court was responding to a case addressing the hazardous air quality in Delhi, which has consistently fallen into the "severe" category in recent days.

What did the court say?

• The Supreme Court did not spare the Delhi government from its scrutiny, emphasizing the need to address the issue of polluting vehicles, especially those running at half capacity.
• Vehicular emissions were also identified as a significant contributor to Delhi's air pollution.
• The bench, led by Justice SK Kaul and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, scheduled a hearing for Friday and urged the central government to organise a meeting with the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi to address the issue of stubble burning.
• The court added that this cannot continue, putting pressure on authorities to take immediate action.
• Urging swift and effective measures, the court declared that the issue should not be reduced to a political debate.
• Justice Kaul stated, "We do not care how you do it... it must stop. Whether sometimes by forceful actions and sometimes by incentives."
• The court also highlighted the need to explore alternative crops to paddy.

Stubble burning: A culprit

• According to Central Pollution Control Board data, several areas in Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 400, far above the acceptable levels.
• Advocate Aparajita Singh, representing the petitioners, highlighted that the issue of farm fires in Punjab has not been adequately addressed.
• Stubble burning was identified as the primary factor responsible for the decline in Delhi's air quality.