The rich regret and the poor suffer…Supreme Court’s strict comment on pollution in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi . Amidst the continuously deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR and the threat to breathing, the Supreme Court on Monday made a strong comment regarding pollution. The Supreme Court clearly said that a major reason for the situation not improving is the orders not being effectively followed and the affluent class not changing their lifestyle. The court expressed deep concern over the fact that rules are being broken, but the poor and common people are suffering the brunt of it.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi made the observations during a brief hearing of the pollution case. During the hearing, Amicus Curiae Aparajita Singh told the court that air pollution in Delhi-NCR still remains at a serious level and it is directly impacting the health of the people.

This situation persists despite several instructions given by the Supreme Court from time to time. Aparajita Singh said that action as per court orders and fixed protocols is often slow. Commenting on this, the Chief Justice said that the Supreme Court has passed many orders to control pollution, but no concrete change is visible at the ground level. He raised the question as to what is the solution and said that there is a need for practical orders which can be actually followed.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice said, people have to understand that now is the time to change their lifestyle. The affluent class often ignores the restrictions and continues to use diesel cars, personal generators and other polluting appliances. The court particularly expressed concern over vehicular pollution, saying it was suffocating the national capital and surrounding areas.

The bench also underlined that the worst impact of pollution falls on the poor, laborers and working class, who neither have safe alternatives nor adequate means to protect themselves from pollution. The court indicated that if every section of the society, especially the affluent section, does not take responsibility, then mere orders will not improve the situation.