The Supreme Court has issued stern orders to curb air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR). Incidents of stubble burning in Punjab continue to persist, prompting the Supreme Court to instruct the state government to collect fines from farmers rigorously. Despite the Punjab government imposing fines of 2 crore rupees on farmers for burning stubble this season, only 50% has been recovered. In response, the Supreme Court has directed the Punjab government to collect the remaining fines within two months.
Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, leading the bench overseeing the air pollution petition, emphasized the urgency of addressing stubble burning cases. The court highlighted the necessity of preventing such activities to ensure environmental cleanliness leading up to the next winter.
The escalation of pollution in Delhi has brought the issue of stubble burning in Punjab to the national forefront. Observing this, the Supreme Court has mandated progress reports from the governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on the measures taken to control rising pollution levels within two months.
