The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it wants answers on the fresh cases of stubble burning around Delhi. The top court was informed by the counsel in the case that stubble burning has started again and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR must explain why the stubble burning was happening depsite a ban by the top court and what actions have it taken against the erring offcials.
The Amicus in the case told the top court today that he has sent a notice to CAQM to seek an explaination.
A bench of Justice Abhay Oka said, "We want an answer to this on Friday."
In October 2023, the top court directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to submit a report detailing the steps taken to tackle the worsening air quality in and around the national capital. Following which, the CAQM submitted its report stating that stubble burning was a leading cause of air pollution in Delhi.
Taking note of the worsening air quality in Delhi, the Supreme Court on November 7, 2023, had directed the Governments of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to take immediate steps to stop stubble burning by farmers, which the Court said was one of the major contributors to air pollution.
Last year, the top court came down heavily on the governments of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, and UP, asking them to immediately stop stubble burning. The court gave the responsibility of enforcing this ban to the local state house officer, under the supervision of the chief secretary to the governments and the police chief of the respective states.
The top court had further directed the Punjab government to reconsider the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009 in view of its adverse effect on pollution, and stressed the need to phase out cultivation of paddy of a concerning variety in Punjab.
On November 21, the apex court has even suggested excluding farmers burning their stubble from the purview of the minimum support price (MSP) infrastructure, to disincentivise stubble burning in Punjab and other states bordering Delhi.
The top court had also recommended completely subsidising baling machines for poor farmers and financing their operating costs to convert stubble into a useful byproduct that could then be sold for a profit by the state government.