Amid Worsening AQI In Delhi, Top Court Seeks Report On Stubble Burning

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana to file detailed affidavits outlining the steps taken to prevent stubble burning, as air quality in the national capital and adjoining areas plunged to "severe" levels.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai, which has been monitoring measures to curb air pollution in the Delhi-NCR, took note of submissions highlighting worsening conditions despite enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan submitted before the Bench, also comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran, that while GRAP-III is currently in force, the prevailing pollution levels warrant implementation of GRAP-IV - the most stringent stage of anti-pollution measures.

"AQI has crossed 450 in several places. Even outside Court No. 10, drilling work is going on. At least for a few days, such activities should stop," he said.

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who assists the top court as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in a public interest litigation (PIL) relating to control of pollution, also flagged discrepancies in official data and warned that the situation had become "very dangerous".

Taking note of these submissions, the CJI Gavai-led Bench directed that the matter be listed for further hearing on Monday and sought responses from Punjab and Haryana on the actions taken to control stubble burning.

In its earlier hearing in September, the top court had called for a report from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on its monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and had even asked the Centre to consider strict penalties, including arrests, to deter farmers from burning crop residue.

Despite repeated judicial directions, the Supreme Court has expressed dissatisfaction with the states' inability to prevent the seasonal spike in pollution.

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