SC directs Centre to hold emergency meeting to control air pollution

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to call an emergency meeting on Tuesday to take measures like stopping non-essential construction transport, power plants and implementing work from home.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, directed the concerned secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab and Delhi to attend the meeting to make their submissions before the committee formed by it.

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"The affidavit filed by respondents and after hearing we come to the conclusion the major culprits of pollution are construction activity, industry, tansport, power and vehicular traffic apart from stubble burning in some parts."

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"Even though some decisions were taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act has not indicated precisely what steps they are going to take to control factors that are causing air pollution."

"In view of that, we direct the government of India to a call for an emergency meeting tomorrow and discuss the areas which we indicated and what orders they can pass to effectively control air pollution. So far, as stubble burning is concerned, broadly affidavits state that their contribution is not so much except for two months. However, at present a good amount of stubble burning is taking place in Haryana and Punjab,” the bench also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said.

The top court also asked the state governments of Punjab and Haryana to pursue the farmers for two weeks not to do stubble burning.

"We direct the government of India, NCR states to examine introducing work from home for employees,” the bench said.