On the issue of stubble burning, the bench said that there is a need to make farmers aware, so that they use machines instead of setting fire in the fields.
New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Friday termed vehicular smoke as a major cause of air pollution in Delhi-NCR and said there is a need to take immediate, medium and long-term measures to curb the rising air quality index (AQI).
Hearing a suo motu case related to review of the regulatory framework to tackle air pollution, a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana also expressed concern over the heavy rush of vehicles on the roads and traffic jams at various places in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).
AQI touching 400 level
CJI said, we continuously talk, sometimes give statements and also give suggestions, but the issue is that AQI is already touching the level of 400. The bench drew attention to the large number of vehicular movements on the roads connecting Delhi with surrounding areas. These include Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad. The Chief Justice said, look at the roads of Delhi and the roads connecting Delhi to NCR. Go on any road and observe the number of vehicles plying there. This is the biggest problem.
The poor have to bear the brunt of pollution
The bench said that poor people have to bear the real brunt of this pollution because they live on the streets. Apart from this, festival time is the only time when they get a chance to earn a living. On the issue of stubble burning, the bench said that there is a need to make farmers aware so that they use machines instead of setting fire to the fields. On a plea seeking closure of schools for students of all age groups or conducting classes in 'hybrid mode' if AQI rises above the prescribed level, the bench said it would take a decision as per the opinion of experts.
Government informed the court about dealing with pollution
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Central Government and other concerned authorities, informed about the regulatory framework created to deal with the five major sources of pollution. These include industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, dust from construction and demolition, road dust and stubble burning. He told the bench that several steps have been taken to curb pollution. These include ban on entry of certain categories of vehicles, geo-tagging of Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUC) and taking action against clearly polluting vehicles based on complaints received through mobile apps and social media.
Rohini is the most polluted
Bhati told the bench that stubble burning contributed 14 percent to Delhi's total air pollution. The bench said that it will pass some orders in this matter. Also, the petition will be heard on November 16 when the court reopens after the Diwali holidays. There was a dense layer of smog in the national capital on Friday. The air quality deteriorated rapidly and approached the 'severe' category. The average AQI of the city was recorded at 391. Of the 59 air quality monitoring centers in the city, 30 recorded the air quality in the 'severe' category at 9 am, while at the rest it was in the 'very poor' category. According to official data, Rohini recorded the highest AQI of 475. After this, 472 AQI was recorded at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.