New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning Delhi’s air pollution and its controlling measures.
The matter will be heard by a bench of justices Abhay S. Oka and AG Masih, per the cause list published on the SC website.
During its last hearing, the apex court raised serious concern over the nominal collection of compensation from the farmers burning paddy stubble. The court also pulled up the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for failing to implement its directions, as “not a single prosecution case was launched over stubble burning.”
In response, the CAQM empowered district magistrates in Punjab, Haryana, and the National Capital Region (NCR) areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to prosecute officials for inaction on the issue.
The panel also deputed 26 central teams to various vulnerable districts in Punjab and Haryana to assist district authorities in the enforcement.
The CAQM was established in 2020 to improve coordination, research, problem identification, and resolution of air quality index-related issues in the NCR and nearby regions. Since then, it has imposed limitations in Delhi following a decline in air quality every year.
During the winter months, Delhi and its surrounding areas are at risk of air pollution, with heavy smog engulfing the region.
Last winter, doctors opined that “breathing in the national capital's polluted air was similar to the damaging consequences of smoking around 10 cigarettes each day.”
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