Live Updates: "What Is Bureaucracy Doing?" Supreme Court On Stubble-Burning

The Supreme Court, during a hearing on a public interest litigation on the worrying situation in Delhi due to air pollution, today said the weather department has informed that the air quality will become worse again. "We can't go with wind direction. What steps should be taken?" it asked the centre.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the centre, said the air quality is expected to improve. "We will review the situation after three days," he added.

The court asked the centre to continue the measures for controlling air pollution for the next two-three days. "We are not going to close this case. Even if pollution goes down now, we will continue to hear this case and issue directions. Take the measures for next three days. We will hear it again on Monday. In the meantime if situation improves, lift some bans," the court added.

A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant heard the plea today.

The Supreme Court will hear the case next on November 29.

Delhi's air quality slipped into the very poor category this morning as low temperatures and slow surface winds allowed accumulation of pollutants. The city's air quality index (AQI) read 357 at 9 am.

Here are the Live Updates on Delhi Air Pollution hearing:

Nov 24, 2021

11:52 (IST)

Delhi Air Pollution: Look At Signal We're Sending To World, Says Supreme Court
Three weeks on, as the Delhi air quality crisis continues, the Supreme Court said today it won't close the case "even if (the) pollution (level) goes down now".

Nov 24, 2021

11:50 (IST)

Let bureaucracy meet farmers, find solution to pollution: Supreme Court

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioner, told the Supreme Court, "Stubble burning issue needs to be taken care of. If farmers are compensated, farm fires can be controlled."

"Has there been any study on how much stubble have been removed in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh?" the court asked.

"If Govardhan model is implemented, stubble from these states can be given to states where there are cow fodder scarcity. This is going to be a big problem. How are you going to tackle the stubble burning issue?" it questioned the centre.

"We are using our common sense in discussing this issue. As a government lawyer and judges, we are discussing this. What is the bureaucracy doing? Let the secretaries decide something... why can't they go to fields and speak to the farmers, scientists and devise a permanent solution?" the Supreme Court added.

Nov 24, 2021

11:33 (IST)

"Not going to close this case": Supreme Court on pollution

Supreme Court says action to control pollution has to be taken in advance. "Why should Delhiites suffer from air poor quality?"

"We are not going to close this case. Even if pollution goes down now, we will continue to hear this case and issue directions. Take the measures for next three days. We will hear it again on Monday. In the meantime if situation improves, lift some bans," the court adds.

Nov 24, 2021

11:30 (IST)

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR | Supreme Court says it will not close the air pollution case and give final orders. SC further adds that due to the seriousness of the issue it will continue to hear this matter.

- ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2021

Nov 24, 2021

11:29 (IST)

"Look at signal we are sending to world": Supreme Court on pollution

"This is the national capital. Look at the signal we are sending to the world," the Supreme Court says.

"You have to predict the situation based on statistics... and take action in anticipation so that the situation does not go severe," it adds.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says, "We take steps as soon as we are in severe situation so that it doesn't go to severe plus."

There is a need to define what is the acceptable level of AQI for Delhi, the court says. "Now there are super computers. There needs to be a statistical model."

Nov 24, 2021

11:19 (IST)

Will review situation after 3 days: Centre

Supreme Court says, "The Air Quality commission should conduct a scientific study based on the wind directed. These ad-hoc measures won't help. What are the steps you will take and the impact of that in next seven days is what we want. The study has to be science based."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta says, "I have listed immediate steps. There are long term plans also. We have come up with graded measures."

There are a lot of expectations that the court is monitoring... and air pollution will come down, the Supreme Court replied. "Now labours have come to us to allow construction activities."

"We will review the situation after three days. We are monitoring everyday," the lawyer says.

"What if the situation worsens by then? Restrictions have to come automatically," the court says.

Nov 24, 2021

11:15 (IST)

Air quality expected to improve: Centre

Supreme Court asks if the weather department has predicted anything on the air quality of Delhi and nearby areas.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the centre, says the air quality is expected to improve. "We will review the situation after three days," he adds.

Nov 24, 2021

11:08 (IST)

"Can't micromanage on fines": Supreme Court

There is a media report that says that because of elections in Punjab, no fines are being imposed (to control pollution), senior advocate Vikas Singh told the Supreme Court.

"We can't micromanage on imposing fines," the court replied.

Mr Singh added: "Incentives have not been paid to the farmers also. They have done nothing."

Nov 24, 2021

11:01 (IST)

Air pollution in Delhi NCR: Senior adv Vikas Singh appearing for petitioner tells SC that as per a media report this year due to polls in Punjab fines not being imposed to please farmers. SC says it isn't concerned with this issue & it can't micromanage such things

- ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2021

Nov 24, 2021

10:56 (IST)

"What steps should be taken?" Supreme Court asks Centre

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for Centre says the air quality index on November 16 was 403 and today it is 260.

The Supreme Court said it's because of the wind. "The weather department says it will become worse again. We can't go with wind direction. What steps should be taken?"

Mr Mehta says construction restrictions have not been lifted in Delhi.

Nov 24, 2021

10:34 (IST)

Very poor air quality in Delhi as winds slow down

Delhi's air quality slipped into the very poor category on this morning as low temperatures and slow surface winds allowed accumulation of pollutants. The city's air quality index (AQI) read 357 at 9 am.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest this season so far. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius.

Strong winds on Sunday and Monday had led to an improvement in the air quality.

The 24-hour average AQI read 290 on Tuesday, the second best AQI reading this month since November 1 (281). Delhi has seen very poor or severe air quality on the rest of the days.

Nov 24, 2021

10:32 (IST)

Supreme Court to begin hearing plea on Delhi pollution issue soon

While hearing a plea relating to air pollution in Delhi and adjoining areas last week, the Supreme Court had said debates on TV news channels are causing more pollution than anybody with statements made in the court being taken out of context.

The observation of the bench came as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the centre raised the issue over television debates which claimed that he had misled the court on the contribution of stubble burning to air pollution.

The court had said everyone has their own agenda and statements are taken out of context in these debates.

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