In response to the ongoing air pollution crisis in the national capital, the Supreme Court on Tuesday instructed the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to provide affidavits detailing the measures they have undertaken to combat air pollution.
Despite previous actions taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the court expressed concern about the persistently poor air quality in Delhi.
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The court, presided over by a three-judge bench led by Justice SK Kaul, has given these states one week to submit the requested affidavits. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on November 7, with Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and P K Mishra also part of the bench.
The court noted that a couple of decades ago, Delhi enjoyed a more favourable air quality, but the current situation hinders residents from going outdoors. The worsening air quality is a pressing issue, prompting the court to take action.
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The Supreme Court also directed the CAQM to present data in a tabular format, highlighting the timeline of air quality from when the problem began, including metrics such as the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the incidence of farm fires. Crop burning was pointed out as a primary contributor to air pollution in Delhi.
Earlier, the court had sought a report from the CAQM regarding measures taken to address air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.
On October 6, the CAQM directed regional authorities to enforce a ban on coal usage in hotels and restaurants and take disciplinary actions against polluting industries and thermal power plants. These directives are part of the ‘Graded Response Action Plan’ (GRAP), which is implemented to combat winter-season air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
The CAQM, an autonomous body, is responsible for enhancing air quality in Delhi and its surrounding areas.
(With inputs from PTI)