The Supreme Court has directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to file a status report on the measures taken to curb stubble burning, which contributes to the air pollution crisis in the Delhi-NCR region. A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran directed the states to file the report stating that it will hear the issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR next week.
The apex court is currently hearing a petition filed in 1985 on air pollution, and the vexed issue of crop residue burning arose from it. An advocate in the case told the bench that while the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has implemented the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) GRAP-III, the situation demanded the implementation of GRAP-IV instead. The counsel said, Air Quality Index (AQI) has crossed 450 in some areas, and constructions were being carried out, including within the Supreme Court premises. Another counsel flagged the issue of false data on air monitoring stations.
Earlier, the CAQM in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas issued a notice to Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner for non-compliance with directives aimed at preventing paddy stubble burning in Haryana.
The district recorded 48 incidents of stubble burning between November 1 and November 9, of these, 28 incidents occurred on November 8 and 9 alone. This indicates sharp spike despite enforcement orders.
The CAQM stated that such recurring incidents reflect inadequate supervision and poor enforcement of state action plans aimed at completely eliminating paddy stubble burning this harvest season.
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