Opening a suo motu hearing on Delhi’s air pollution crisis on Friday, the Supreme Court bench headed by CJI Surya Kant and joined by Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana remarked, “hope you all are enjoying weather”, and highlighted vehicular congestion across Delhi-NCR roads as a primary source of severe air pollution. Pointing out that the AQI has already crossed 400, the apex court urged immediate corrective action, while senior advocate Aparajita Singh added as amicus curiae that the toxic air equals smoking 30 cigarettes daily and that stubble burning accounts for about 14 percent of the pollution load even without factoring in intense local urban emissions and waste burning. The court noted that while farmers should be educated and supported through advance procurement pricing and gram panchayat management systems to halt stubble burning, emissions from luxury private vehicles used by the well-off urban class also require strict regulatory attention.
SC Slams Rising Air Pollution, Orders Strict Curbs on Vehicles in Delhi
