The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a plea on November 10. The plea is aimed at seeking measures to curb worsening pollution in Delhi-NCR.
On November 10, a lawyer raised the issue for an urgent hearing, and a bench consisting of Chief Justice of India UU Lalit and Bela M Trivedi scheduled the case for hearing. The petition’s attorney, Shashank Shekhar Jha, informed the bench that Punjab has seen a spike in stubble burning.
Jha said in his argument,”Parali burning has increased in Punjab. Even normal people can’t walk in such a situation.”
According to the petition, the Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh should be individually held accountable for there being no cases of stubble burning anywhere.
It asked for guidance on how to issue new regulations on stubble burning to all the States. A directive was requested in the petition for all States to follow in order to reduce pollution, including the building of smog towers, plantation drives, accessible public transportation, etc.
“Public at large is forced to inhale polluted air and the oxygen filled with smog. Despite the clear orders of this Court to stop stubble burning and construction causing air pollution, there is rampant pollution in the National Capital Territory and other places making it difficult for people to survive,” said the plea adding that the situation is directly against the Right to life of people at large.
The petition said that on November 3, the AQI level in Delhi ranged from 440 to 460, which, according to a number of sources, “affects healthy people and substantially hurts those with established conditions.”
According to the report, an AQI of 400 or greater is deemed “severe,” and it can have an impact on both healthy individuals and those who are already ill.
It asked for guidance on how to form a high-level group with a retired Supreme Court judge as its chairman to address the air-pollution crisis brought on by stubble burning.
In order to preserve the lives of the general public, the petition also encouraged schools, colleges, the government, and business offices to go virtual or online.
The advocate said that the pollution is caused because states like Punjab have failed to provide an alternative to the farmers against stubble burning.to control pollution.