Delhi pollution: Modi govt asked to hold emergency meet

THE Supreme Court of India on Monday (15) asked the Narendra Modi government to call an emergency meeting on Tuesday (16) to take measures such as stopping non-essential construction, transport, power plants and implementing work from home.

A bench headed by chief justice NV Ramana directed concerned secretaries of northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi to attend the meeting to make their submissions before the committee which has been set up by it.

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The Supreme Court of India (Photo: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)

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“The affidavit filed by respondents and after hearing we come to the conclusion the major culprits of pollution are construction activity, industry, transport, power and vehicular traffic apart from stubble burning in some parts. Even though some decisions were taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act has not indicated precisely what steps they are going to take to control factors that are causing air pollution,” the bench said.

“In view of that, we direct the Government of India to a call for an emergency meeting tomorrow and discuss the areas which we indicated and what orders they can pass to effectively control air pollution. So far, as stubble burning is concerned, broadly affidavits state that their contribution is not so much except for two months. However, at present a good amount of stubble burning is taking place in Haryana and Punjab,” the bench, which also comprises justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant, said.

The apex court also asked the state governments of Punjab and Haryana to pursue the farmers for two weeks to convince them against stubble-burning.

“We direct the government of India, NCR states to examine introducing work from home for employees,” the bench added.

Delhi air quality remains in 'very poor' category

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the second successive day on Monday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) being recorded at 342.

The AQI for northern Indian cities like Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Noida stood at 328, 340, 326 and 328, respectively, at 9 am local time.

A visible improvement in the national capital’s air quality was recorded on Sunday (14) even though it was still in the ‘very poor’ category.

On Sunday, Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 330 as against 473 on Saturday (13) as emissions from agricultural fires in Haryana and Punjab dropped significantly.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Sunday said that his department issued a notification for effective implementation of the emergency measures announced by the government of Delhi to tackle air pollution.

He said Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party government will submit a proposal on clamping a lockdown in view of the rising air pollution in the national capital and its modalities to the Supreme Court on Monday.

(With PTI inputs)