The Supreme Court on Monday shifted responsibility to the Centre to come up with a long-lasting strategy to combat Delhi’s air pollution while hearing a plea on stubble burning. Chief Justice BR Gavai stressed that the Centre must bring all stakeholders together to frame a long-term plan, noting that temporary curbs for a month or two cannot solve the crisis.
The CJI also cautioned against proposals such as enforcing GRAP restrictions year-round, saying such measures would severely impact the livelihoods of migrant workers and labourers in the capital, and could even disrupt the functioning of the court itself if vehicular movement were halted. This comes after senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan suggested the year-round imposition of GRAP in Delhi.
Obtain long-term roadmap from Centre on pollution: SC
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that Delhi’s air quality is monitored hourly through automated CPCB detectors, with the highest readings used to trigger response measures. The amicus curiae Aparajita Singh, however, raised concerns about outdated equipment and alleged instances of water being sprinkled near monitoring stations to manipulate readings. Bhati dismissed these claims, asserting that the devices are modern and operate around the clock.
The court directed Bhati to obtain clear instructions from the Centre on the long-term roadmap for addressing Delhi’s air pollution and adjourned the matter to November 19.
‘Farmers know timing of satellite monitoring’
Amicus also informed the court that the shrinking window between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing leaves farmers with little choice but to burn stubble. She added that the number of burning incidents is likely “under-counted,” as farmers know the timing of satellite monitoring. According to her, many farmers say they would refrain from burning if they were compensated at least ₹100 per quintal.
Responding to these concerns, ASG Bhati said that efforts are underway to address gaps in satellite monitoring. She highlighted that a range of machines is being deployed to collect, bundle, and repurpose crop residue as fuel, and added that tackling pollution cannot be driven by “knee-jerk” responses.
The Spreme Court has agreed to consider a “combined action” on stubble burning and directed that Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to follow the instructions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). It further emphasised the need to bring all affected states, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, into the fold for coordinated action.
The air pollution in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category on Monday, with AQI at several stations crossing the 400 mark. At 6:05 AM, the city’s overall AQI touched 360, which falls under the ‘very poor’ category. Out of 38 monitoring stations, six stations recorded ‘severe’ air quality.
