New Delhi, Nov 16: The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a plea concerning the rise in stubble burning across Punjab and Haryana, a trend officials say has sharply worsened the already fragile air quality in Delhi-NCR. The Bench had earlier directed the two states to explain what measures they have taken to curb the practice.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, and comprising Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, had scheduled the matter for November 17 after expressing concern over persistent farm fires and their impact on public health. “Let Punjab and Haryana governments respond on steps taken to control stubble burning,” the CJI had said while posting the matter for further hearing.
The plea is being heard as part of the long-running M.C. Mehta pollution case, in which the court has repeatedly directed authorities to act swiftly rather than wait for air quality to dip into the “severe” category. On November 3, the court asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to file a detailed affidavit outlining the steps taken so far to prevent further deterioration in Delhi-NCR.
During earlier proceedings, amicus curiae A.D.N. Singh cited media reports claiming that several air-quality monitoring stations in the capital had been non-operational during Diwali. “There are newspapers after newspapers saying that monitoring stations are non-functional. If the monitoring stations are not even functioning, we don’t even know when to implement GRAP,” she told the Bench. Singh added that out of 37 monitoring stations, only nine operated continuously on Diwali day, urging the court to seek clearer data and a concrete action plan.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the Bench that the agencies concerned “will file the required report,” assuring compliance with the court’s directions.
The issue remains pressing as seasonal crop burning continues across parts of north India, contributing to dense smog that has repeatedly pushed Delhi-NCR’s air quality into hazardous ranges in recent weeks.
