‘Crop Burning Major Contributor To Pollution... All Stakeholders Should Act’: Supreme Court On Delhi Air Quality Crisis

The Supreme Court has today (7 November) emphasised that the issue of air pollution in Delhi should not be turned into a political battleground, underscoring that the deteriorating air quality is accountable for the "murder of people's health."

The court also insisted that urgent action is imperative to address these concerns.

During the hearing, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, the presiding judge, emphasised the need to halt stubble burning and regulate vehicular emissions.

LiveLaw quoted him as saying, "Crop burning is a major contributor to pollution", responding to which Punjab AG said, "We need to provide MSP so that farmers can shift to other crops."

The Supreme Court issued a stern directive to the Governments of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana, urging immediate action to curb stubble burning by farmers.

The Court also assigned the local State House Officer, under the overall supervision of the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, the responsibility to prevent crop burning.

While recognising that economic factors drive farmers to burn stubble, the Punjab Attorney General suggested that the central government provide subsidies to facilitate the necessary facilities.

He also proposed phasing out paddy cultivation and replacing it with other crops, as well as exploring options for providing Minimum Support Prices for non-paddy crops.

The Court underscored the necessity of transitioning to alternative crops in order to prevent recurrent stubble burning and noted the central government's policy to encourage traditional crop cultivation.

The Supreme Court ordered the Cabinet Secretary to convene a meeting with all stakeholders to address this issue.

Additionally, the Court instructed the Delhi Government to ensure that municipal solid waste is not burned in the city, which has been occurring openly.

The Court also directed the Delhi Government to ensure that only taxis registered in Delhi are permitted to operate in the capital, as a large number of taxis from other states, carrying only one passenger, currently ply in the national capital region.

Senior Advocate Aparajitha Singh, serving as the amicus curiae, informed the Court that the smog towers installed by the Delhi Government, as per earlier directions, were not operational.

Expressing its concern, the Court urged the Delhi Government to promptly repair the smog towers.

The Court's order emphasised the urgency of addressing this critical issue, as it poses persistent health problems for the residents of Delhi.