SC directs chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to appear in court on 23 rd October
Expressing its serious concern over the increasing sir pollution in Punjab and Haryana and subsequent apathy of the respective governments on this count despite repeated warnings the Supreme Court has today issued directions to the chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to be present in the court on October 13 and be ready to confront the consequences if they fail to satisfy the apex court to vindicate their stands on defaults made to counter them. While taking this issue extremely seriously especially targetting Punjab and Haryana both neighbouring states of the national capital the apex court expressed their immense dismay over the failure of these states in countering the increasing pollution and failure to implement the Commission for Air Quality Management’s directions to the stubble burning which has become a regular affair and is posing direct threat to the lives of Delhites with the governments taking no legal action against the violators by imposing nominal fines letting them off. In today’s hearing the Supreme Court questioned the Chief Secretaries of both states, asking why no action has been taken to prosecute farmers who continue to engage in stubble burning ¹. The court noted that despite the CAQM’s directions, no penal action has been taken against violators, and only nominal fines have been collected. The points of major concern of the court in this regard were :
Stubble Burning which is the regular practice of intentionally setting fire to crop residues, which contributes to air pollution with states’ failure to implement CAQM’s directions and prosecute violators thus severely impacting the Delhi’s air quality.
