With the air quality in Delhi and the national capital region worsening, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre, the AAP government and states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana about remedial steps that can be taken to curb the rising pollution.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra issued notice to the Centre and the governments of Delhi, UP, Haryana and Punjab and sought their responses to a PIL which has sought emergent steps to improve the air quality in the region, especially in the national capital.
The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, however made it clear that the proceedings on the other pleas relating to air pollution, before any court or forum, would not be put on hold.
The apex court said it will deal with the issue to find a long term solution the problem of air pollution.
Apart from preventing stubble burning and cleaning dust from the roads, the plea by lawyer R K Kapoor has also suggested promoting use of solar energy and electric vehicles.
The petitioner, however, was not in favour of the odd- even scheme of car rationing saying it was “not productive” in controlling the air pollution in the city.
The petition has claimed that the rise in dust particles on roads, stubble burning in Delhi’s neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and UP have led to an alarming rise in the pollution levels in the NCR and its adjoining areas.
Kapoor, in his plea, has contended that breathing such polluted air could result in asthma and cancer.
The petition has called for incentivising the use of alternate sources of energy like solar, besides developing projects to prevent stubble burning, which the Delhi High Court had recently termed as the “main villain” behind the poor air quality in the national capital.
The petitioner also told the court that pollution due to dust can be controlled by sprinkling water on the roads.
( Source – PTI )
