Stubble burning: SC slams Haryana, Punjab on air pollution, summons chief secretaries

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed Punjab and Haryana over the issue of stubble burning , stating that no effective action has been taken by the states to address the problem and added that the affidavit filed by Haryana is full of non-compliance.

The Supreme Court was hearing a case of non-compliance of orders passed by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region (NCR), particularly regarding stubble burning.

In the court, the bench asked, "Why the state is shying of prosecuting people for stubble burning and letting go of people with nominal fines. ISRO is telling you the location where a fire was taking place and you say that you do not find anything."

Calling it an "complete defiance" of direction by the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM), the top court summoned the chief secretary of Haryana and Punjab to present before it to explain non-compliance with the order to take action against people indulging in stubble burning.

"This is not a political matter. If Chief Secretary is acting at somebody's behest, we will issue summons against them as well. Nothing has been done, same is with Punjab. The attitude is of complete defiance," the bench observed, as per ANI news agency.

Supreme Court directed that Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to take penal action against state officers. SC orders that the chief secretary of Haryana to be physically present on next Wednesday and explain why no stringent action was taken against the violators and government officials.

Furthermore, the court noted that the Punjab government has not made any efforts to request financial assistance from the central government to provide farmers with tractors, which could help address the problem.

In its observations, the top court referred to CAQM as a "toothless tiger," suggesting that the commission lacks the necessary power or authority to effectively tackle the situation, PTI news agency reported.

Previously, the apex court had reprimanded CAQM for its inability to control air pollution in Delhi, which is exacerbated by crop residue burning in the neighboring states. The court emphasized that CAQM needs to adopt a more proactive approach in dealing with this pressing issue.