The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and the NCR States to continue with their measures to curb air pollution and called for advance preventive steps with the help of IMD which has "sophisticated mechanism and tools" to deal with the situation before it becomes severe.
"Why should Delhiites suffer this severe and very poor air quality?" the apex court said. “This is the national capital. Look at the signal we are sending to the world. You can stop these (pollution causing) activities in anticipation itself...” Graded response to deal with the spike in air pollution should be taken before the situation becomes severe, the apex court said, adding that it will not close the matter and continue to hear it even if pollution comes down by "virtue of God's act" or restrictions. The special bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, which discussed the issue of stubble burning and the problems faced by farmers with the lawyers, once again came down on bureaucrats for their alleged inaction in dealing with this aspect.
“Mr (Tushar) Mehta (Solicitor General) as a Government lawyer or lawyers and judges we are using our common sense and discussing this issue and what the bureaucracy has been doing all these years and can't they go and meet the farmers. I do not know what they are doing. “Let the secretaries of the Central and State Government sit for two days, discuss the issue.
They can go to the field and talk to the farmers and decide,” said the bench which also comprised justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant. “You did not have computers in those days and now you have super computers and if you prepare the statistical model, namely what is the data for the last five years and based on that you can plan the expected level of pollution for the next 15 days. Why should Delhiites suffer this severe and very poor air quality,” the bench observed.
The SC said the measures suggested by the Commission on Air Quality Management to deal with industrial pollution, thermal plants, vehicular emissions, dust control, diesel generators as well as encouraging work from home be continued for the time being and it will take up the matter on Monday.
“Take the measures for the next two-three days and we will hear this matter next Monday. In the meantime if pollution becomes 100 (AQI) etc then you can lift some ban,” said the Bench. On the issue of construction workers, the bench said the States have huge funds on account of labour cess collected from real estate firms and that can be used for paying the workmen who have been deprived of their livelihood due to the ban