In an observation during the ongoing hearing on Delhi’s worsening air quality, the Supreme Court on Monday said stubble burning must not be politicised or turned into a matter of ego, emphasising that farmers “need to be sensitised" and equipped with the necessary machinery rather than blamed.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which was hearing the Delhi pollution matter regularly, said the issue cannot be treated as a seasonal formality.
“Delhi pollution matter cannot be listed customarily in October, and we will be taking it up regularly," the CJI said, noting that air quality improvement was observed “just because this item was heard".
Calling for accountability and scientific solutions, the CJI told the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Centre, “None of us can sit idle. We can’t presume that there’s no solution to this problem."
The court also asked CAQM to present both its short-term and long-term plans, and to evaluate the effectiveness of steps taken so far.
“Ask a question to yourself, has your action plan improved the situation?" the CJI said, pressing the commission to introspect whether its “legitimate expectations" from the plan were met.
“If your action plan has been ineffective, maybe you would have to think of an alternative," he added.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that the CAQM had consulted every state government and drawn up detailed action plans on key contributors such as stubble burning, vehicular emissions, construction dust, road dust and biomass burning.
“Implementation is needed," she conceded.
However, the court also stressed that an overemphasis on farm fires was misplaced.
“We don’t want to comment on stubble burning as it’s easy to pass off the burden on those who are hardly represented before us. It has become a thing where you can conveniently put the blame on that," the CJI observed.
Pointing to the stark difference during the Covid-19 lockdown, the bench asked, “Stubble burning was there during Covid times, but still, why was there a blue sky? Someone will have to answer."
The court noted that other activities, especially vehicular movement and construction, had stopped, indicating the need to identify the “biggest" contributor to Delhi’s toxic air.
The court also directed the Centre to submit, within a week, a report on measures taken to control pollution from non-stubble sources.
“Which one is the biggest one? That needs to be identified," the CJI said, asking for a science-backed assessment.
Backing farmers, the court reiterated, “Farmers only need to be sensitised. We need to provide certain machines."
Earlier, a PIL filed in the Delhi High Court by the Greater Kailash-II Welfare Association had slammed authorities for “belated and cosmetic" action even as pollution levels touched ‘severe’ and ‘hazardous’ categories.
The plea alleged inaction, saying a “life-threatening" red alert by experts on November 21 was ignored.
