New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today appointed retired judge Madan B Lokur to monitor stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh amid increasing pollution in and around Delhi. “We are only concerned that the citizens of Delhi NCR can breathe fresh and clean air,” the high court said. The Supreme Court also refused to accept the center’s request to reconsider the appointment of the one-man Justice Committee (retd) Lokur.
The national capital has seen an increase in air pollution after stubble burning incidents in these three states bordering Delhi; The proportion of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration was 6 percent on Thursday, according to a central government agency.
The court headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde ordered the court-appointed Environmental Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and the Chief Clerks of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to assist the Lokur panel in enabling surveillance physics of fields where stubble is burned.
“Interested state governments will provide secretarial, security and financial services to this committee. The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the National Service Scheme and Bharat Scouts will also be deployed to assist the panel. The committee will present its report to the Supreme Court in 15 days, “said the court, which also consisted of Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.
The next hearing on the case is scheduled for October 26.
The proportion of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration was six percent on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences Air Quality Monitor SAFAR. It was only about one percent on Wednesday and about 3 percent on Tuesdays, Mondays and Sundays, SAFAR said.
PM2.5 refers to fine particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate deep into the lungs, affecting their function and even the bloodstream.
During his tenure as a Supreme Court Justice, Justice Lokur had dealt with pollution issues that included the aspect of stubble burning. The court was hearing a guilty plea filed by Aditya Dubey, who expressed concern about contamination caused by burning stubble.
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