Delhi Air Pollution: SC Asks State Governments to Give Rs. 100/quintal to Farmers to Curb Stubble Burning

Everybody including the Supreme Court is looking for immediate measures to eliminate stubble burning, to permanently end the yearly air pollution problem in Delhi and surrounding regions.

A top court bench on 6 November 2019, ordered that all the farmers be paid Rs.100 / quintal incentive to stop them from setting their fields on fire in preparation for the next crop. It also said to provide them free machines to get rid of the farm residues. The bench has asked for an action plan within 3 weeks to deal with the issue from the Central Government and States in and around the National Capital Region.

As we know that the air pollution levels have been above permissible levels since past few days.  All the schools in Delhi and NCR were closed due to this smog. The court said 'enough was enough & criticized the Centre and concerned State Governments for blaming each other and virtually doing nothing to improve the city's air quality.

Justice Arun Mishra, who was hearing the case with Justice Deepak Gupta said that “Flights have been diverted. The country is getting a bad name".

The court hearing did not conclude too well for the Centre after Attorney General KK Venugopal dismissed the court's suggestion to do everything to stop stubble burning blamed for the toxic smog hanging over the National capital & suggested that practical wisdom lay in burning crop residues zone-wise.

This annoyed Justice Mishra, who demanded to know how the government can throw up its hands on the matter when people were choking. He said, “Why can’t you help farmers with machines & money & pick up the stubble for use somewhere else”.

The Attorney General also said that since two lakh farmers were involved in stubble burning, it will be practically difficult to control it. But Justice Mishra said it was a matter of life & death hence the government must deal with the pollution issue. The bench had sought personal appearance of Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to seek their explanation on the failure and also to ensure that this does not happen again.