The Supreme Court criticized the Punjab and Delhi governments on Tuesday and expressed support for farmers from Punjab. This occurred during an ongoing hearing involving a number of petitions addressing the severe air pollution in the national capital every winter.
A bench of Justices SK Kaul and S Dhulia instructed the states, both governed by the Aam Aadmi Party, to take action against the burning of agricultural waste, which significantly contributes to Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) crisis.
The court reprimanded the Delhi government for delayed funding of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS (regional rapid transport system) and directed funds to be transferred from the AAP’s advertising budget.
In addition, the court expressed sympathy for the situation of farmers in Punjab who have come under scrutiny for burning agricultural waste, or stubble, and suggested that the Punjab government learn from Haryana’s approach in offering incentives to farmers to discourage stubble burning.
The court highlighted the need for the state to support poor farmers with machinery and suggested that the government could then take the product and sell it.
Every winter, the air quality in Delhi and surrounding regions reaches extremely toxic levels due to various factors including farm fires, Diwali fireworks, vehicular traffic, and construction dust, which accumulate over the city because of low wind dispersion. On Monday, Punjab reported 634 farm fires in a day despite police warnings.
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