Supreme Court Rebukes Center Over Rising Delhi Pollution Linked to Stubble Burning

Pollution in Delhi is increasing due to the large-scale burning of stubble in neighboring states. Considering the rising pollution, the Supreme Court pulled up the Center on Wednesday. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Center, assured the court that the rules would be finalized within 10 days and the Act would be fully operational.

The Supreme Court said, 'We will put the Union of India in the dock. It has not created any machinery. The Environment Protection Act has become toothless. You have got rid of the punishment by amending Section 15 and the procedure to be followed and have imposed a fine in its place. Compliance cannot be done to impose a fine. Section 15 of the Act outlines the penalty for violation of its provisions.'

The ASG said that show-cause notices have been issued to the Secretary (Environment) and Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) of both Punjab and Haryana. The ASG said, 'Within 10 days, Section 15 will be fully operational.' The court said, 'If these governments and you (Centre) were seriously prepared to protect the environment, everything would have been done before Section 15 was amended. This is all political, nothing else.'

The air quality (AQI) in the national capital was recorded in the very poor category, with many areas falling into the severe zone on Wednesday. During the onset of winter, the burning of crop residue in Haryana and Punjab is seen as a major factor for the rise in pollution levels in Delhi.