The Haryana and Punjab governments were admonished by the highest court last week for their failure to address the issue of farmers involved in stubble burning.
The Supreme Court received a new affidavit from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), revealing that despite stringent regulations, Punjab and Haryana recorded more than 1,800 instances of stubble burning this year. The panel responsible for air quality management highlighted a decrease in the number of officials absent from committee meetings.
The previous week, the highest court criticized the governments of Haryana and Punjab for their inaction towards farmers involved in stubble burning, contributing to the declining air quality in North India, particularly Delhi. Summoning the chief secretaries of Haryana and Punjab, the Supreme Court required them to present themselves on October 23 and provide a clarification.
The latest submission to the highest court by the CAQM revealed that despite stringent instructions, Punjab reported 1,289 cases of stubble burning while Haryana reported 601 cases. Nonetheless, there has been a decrease in officials’ absence from meetings.
Mentioned was the panel’s collaboration with technical, scientific, and agricultural specialists to boost its effectiveness in addressing pollution.
During the most recent Supreme Court session pertaining to this issue, a panel consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Augustine George Masih instructed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to initiate punitive measures against officials from the governments of Haryana and Punjab due to their inaction against offenders. Furthermore, the panel raised inquiries regarding the absence of Haryana’s representatives at CAQM meetings.
Justice Abhay S Oka pointed out that the affidavit submitted by Haryana lacks compliance. He instructed the Commission to initiate penal measures against the state officials.
CAQM has been labeled as a toothless tiger by the highest court, which directed Haryana and Punjab to replace their state representatives.
The Supreme Court emphasized that the issue at hand is not political in nature. Should it be found that the chief secretary is operating under someone else’s instructions, summons will also be issued against said individual. It was declared that the chief secretary will be summoned in person next Wednesday for a detailed explanation.
On Wednesday, Delhi’s air quality persisted in the ‘very poor’ classification, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) registering at 349 as reported by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
The Jahangirpuri locality in the nation’s capital faced the most severe impact with an AQI of 417, as per SAFAR data. An AQI of 402 was registered in Anand Vihar. In the wee hours, Delhi was veiled under a dense blanket of smog, evident in images from ITO disseminated by news agency ANI.
