New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that it will hear the PIL seeking the issuance of fresh guidelines on stubble burning to curb rising air pollution in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) on November 10.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi took note of the submissions of lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, who has filed the PIL in his personal capacity, that the air pollution situation has worsened due to stubble burning in areas close to Delhi. During the hearing on the matter, Adv. Jha mentioned the role of stubble burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana.
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Mentioning that the Air Quality Index has shot up so much that even the healthier population of the lot is majorly suffering, the advocate said that the stubble burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana is still on the rise. CJI Lalit, who was hearing the matter, said that some experts have opined that stubble burning in those states has no impact on the AQI.
Further explaining his argument, the advocate said that the AQI has reached 500, and the situation demands urgent intervention from the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution. The CJI then agreed to hear the matter and listed it for November 10.
