‘You want to sit in ivory towers and rule’: Supreme Court pulls up states on pollution

india

Updated: Nov 06, 2019 22:39 IST

The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its disappointment over lack of action by authorities in containing air pollution saying “nobody will be spared if found violating rules.”

“You just want to sit in your ivory towers and rule. You are not bothered and are letting the people die,” the top court said on the pollution crisis, reports PTI

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta took serious note of crop burning in Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh and said “why can’t government machinery stop stubble burning? Stubble burning is not the solution. We expect more from democratic government of the country to deal with issue of stubble burning and curb pollution,” reports PTI.

A two-judge bench has summoned chief secretaries of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to explain their failure to curb stubble burning that is blamed for the toxic smog hanging over the region.

Justice Mishra asked the chief secretaries to make a plan for purchasing this stubble, make sure no burning takes place and to make the entire administration responsible.

“Can you permit people to die like this due to pollution? Can you permit the country to go back by 100 years. It is a question of life and death of crores of people. We have to make government responsible for this,” the court said on the toxic air pollution levels in Delhi NCR. “ Nobody will be spared if found violating rules,” the apex court said.

Air pollution levels in national capital Delhi and much of north India touched emergency levels on Wednesday with the Delhi government shutting down schools, ordering staggered timing in offices and initiating the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme.

The Supreme Court had on Monday panned the central and Delhi government machinery for passing the buck and not doing enough to take steps in time. “Delhi is choking every year and we are unable to do anything,” a bench of the Supreme Court said.

The bench, furious at the inability of the government to take adequate steps, put the hearing on hold and ordered the government to ensure the presence of an expert and member of the Environment Prevention and Control Authority in 30 minutes when it will take up the air pollution in Delhi again.