New Delhi: The harsh reality is that nothing substantial was being done to address the air pollution problem choking Delhi every year, the Supreme Court said today. The court said no one wants to prosecute those violating orders of the Commission for Air Quality Management, tasked with tackling air pollution in the national capital.
“Everybody knows that except discussion nothing is happening. That is the harsh reality of this,” Justice AS Oka said. The bench also comprised Justice A Amanullah and Justice AG Masih.
Last week, the court had asked the CAQM to file an affidavit, detailing the steps it had taken to combat stubble burning, among the key reasons behind Delhi’s bad air days.
As Additional Solicitor General Aiswarya Bhati took the court through the composition of the panel, Justice Oka noted that the committee met only thrice in the past nine months and there was no discussion on stubble burning at all.
“The last meeting was on August 29. Entire September, there was no meeting. You said that this committee consists of IPS officers etc who will enforce the directions. Now not a single meeting has been held after August 29 when it comes to enforcement,” Justice Oka said.
Justice Amanullah asked why 11 members skipped a meeting of a sub-committee on safeguarding and enforcement. “Is this the seriousness which is being shown?”
Justice Oka said only some meetings were being held. “Where is the implementation on the grassroots level of your orders? Unless there is prosecution, nobody is going to bother about it,” the court noted.
When the government’s counsel replied that they had registered FIRs under the section relating to disobedience of orders of a public servant, the court replied, “You have taken the softest provision that is there to prosecute. There is Section 14 of CAQM Act, Section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act which has drastic powers.” The government counsel said they did not take drastic measures because the air pollution levels had come down.
“You must implement your own orders. This is all in the air. There are targets, action plans, sectoral meetings but the basic provisions of the Act are not be implemented at all. In 2024, there are 129 cases of stubble burning, why action has not been taken against these people? Why Section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act is not invoked and why the corresponding action is not taken against the officers of the government?” Justice Oka asked.
