Stop farm fires or face contempt: SC to 3 states

Highlights

• Terming the present situation as worse than an emergency, the court banned all construction and demolition work till further orders
• The court said all officials and authorities, from the chief secretary to gram pradhans, would be held liable for stubble burning

NEW DELHI: With pollution in Delhi and NCR assuming the proportions of a health emergency, the Supreme Court on Monday passed a slew of orders and directed UP, Haryana and Punjab governments to immediately stop stubble burning in their states or face contempt proceedings. Terming the present situation as worse than an emergency given reports of pollution shortening life spans in NCR, the court banned all construction and demolition work till further orders, prescribing a fine of Rs 1 lakh for violations.


It also prohibited the use of diesel-run generators and directed the states to ensure roundthe-clock electricity supply. The court said all officials and authorities, from the chief secretary to gram pradhans, would be held liable for stubble burning and will have to face contempt proceedings for failing in their duty to stop it.

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It summoned chief secretaries of all three states on November 6 to explain failure to halt the burning of crop residue. Though the SC has been monitoring Delhi pollution for years and had passed orders like banning polluting crackers and introducing cleaner fuel, the situation remains grim during winter and this year too the problem due to stubble burning in neighbouring states has been a serious issue.

Taking note of widespread stubble burning in three states as revealed by satellite images, a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta said the authorities from “top to bottom” would be made responsible if even a single incident of burning is reported.

“Delhi is choking every year and we are not able to do anything. It cannot happen in a civilised society. People’s right to life is most important. No one wants to visit Delhi. Even in bedrooms in Lutyens’ zone, acceptable quality limit of air is more that 500. This is not the way in which people can survive in the city,” the bench said. The court said it was a “shocking” state of affairs as states and authorities have failed completely to act against stubble burning and need to be penalised.

“They are asking for others to die and make life span of people shorter... It is high time for officials from top to bottom to be made responsible for it,” the bench said. Authorities will be prosecuted under tort, violation of orders and other statutory provisions. “We direct state governments, chief secretaries, district collectors and entire police machinery to ensure that not a single incident of stubble burning takes place. If it happens, the person concerned along with the entire administration from chief secretary to gram pradhan would be held responsible,” the court said.

Considering the seriousness of the situation, the bench had asked the Centre to immediately call some environment experts from IIT and officials from the ministry of environment and passed the order after considering their suggestion. The court was in favour of using cloud-seeding technology to defuse the crisis but experts told the bench that it was not possible in Delhi.