A Bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran asked both states to provide specific information on steps taken to address the burning of crop residue following the paddy harvest.
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab and Haryana governments to submit status reports detailing the measures they have adopted to prevent stubble burning, a major cause of the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region.
A Bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran asked both states to provide specific information on steps taken to address the burning of crop residue following the paddy harvest.
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“We direct the states of Punjab and Haryana to file a report on what steps are being taken to curb stubble burning,” the Bench ordered.
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During the proceedings, one of the advocates noted that while the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has already implemented the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III, the prevailing pollution levels warrant an immediate move to Stage IV, which carries more stringent emergency curbs.
The lawyer also flagged that even as the Air Quality Index (AQI) had crossed 450 in several parts of the capital region, construction work, including within the Supreme Court premises, continued in violation of restrictions.
Another counsel drew the court’s attention to alleged discrepancies in data being uploaded from air quality monitoring stations, claiming that incorrect readings were being reflected on official platforms, casting doubt on the reliability of pollution data.
The Bench said the wider issue of Delhi-NCR’s air pollution would be taken up for an extensive hearing next week.
The matter arises from an environmental petition filed in 1985, which initially focused on Delhi’s air pollution and has since evolved to encompass the recurring problem of crop residue burning and its severe impact on seasonal smog in northern India.
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