'Mere Eyewash': On Stubble Burning, Air Pollution, Supreme Court Raps Punjab, Haryana, Centre

Delhi AQI: With Delhi's air quality entering the 'severe' zone with the Air Quality Index of 363, the Supreme Court on Wednesday rapped the came down heavily on the Punjab, Haryana and the Union government for not taking the air pollution and stubble burning issue seriously. The apex court expressed its displeasure over 'cherry picking of FIR registration' and imposition of nominal fines.

A thick layer of smog enveloped the national capital Wednesday morning as its air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday. During a hearing on the issue, the top court took strong exception to Punjab and Haryana governments not taking any action against people for stubble burning.

The apex court remarked that if these governments are really interested in implementing the law, there would have been at least one prosecution. The Supreme Court told the Chief Secretary of Punjab that around 1,080 FIRs were registered against the violators, but the government collected nominal fines from only 473 people. "You are sparing 600 or more people. We will tell you very frankly that you are giving a signal to violators that nothing will be done against them. This has been for the past three years," said the SC.

Haryana’s Chief Secretary informed the Supreme Court that 400 crop-burning incidents have been reported and the state has registered 32 FIRs.  The top court said that Haryana is taking compensation from few and registering FIR against very few. 

The Supreme Court grilled the governments over non-compliance and their failure to enforce anti-pollution measures. A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka, Justice A Amanullah, and Justice AG Masih, termed the efforts by the state governments to stamp out farm fires a 'mere eyewash'. The Supreme Court also pulled up the Centre for making the environment protection law 'toothless”, and said the provision under the CAQM Act which deals with penalty for stubble burning was not being implemented.

On October 16, the top court had pulled up the Punjab and Haryana governments over the non-prosecution of violators found guilty of stubble burning while summoning the state chief secretaries to appear before it on October 23 for an explanation.