With air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) spiralling out of control, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will on Thursday hear the case on stubble burning and a clutch of petitions on air pollution.
With air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) spiralling out of control, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will on Thursday hear the case on stubble burning and a clutch of petitions on air pollution.
In both matters, the NGT has passed detailed orders in 2015 and 2016 respectively and it has sought details on what action has been taken to implement these orders by the state governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Most of the NGT's orders though, whether its banning stubble burning and providing alternatives to farmers or rolling out specific measures during severe levels of pollution, have not been implemented.
It will be two years now since the Tribunal passed a detailed order on providing alternatives to farmers for managing crop stubble. It had ruled that that states would provide “machines, mechanism, and equipment or its cost to the farmers to remove, collect and store straw.” But, early in October when the pollution begins rising, it was all but clear during the proceedings in NGT that the stubble burning was not going to halt. On October 4, the NGT had pulled up Punjab government for failing to provide financial aid and machinery to farmers for environmental friendly disposal of crop stubble.
Farmers from Punjab impleaded themselves in the matter and had clearly informed NGT that without the necessary machinery, halting crop burning was going to be difficult since it was the fastest and most economical way for them to manage the stubble.
In the backdrop of the peak pollution levels, the NGT had once again sought to know on Wednesday what had the state neighbouring Delhi did to not just stop crop residue burning but also halt industrial activity.
According to government scientists, the current state of pollution has been caused due to smoke from stubble burning and unfavorable meteorological conditions.
The case on stubble burning has been filed by environment activist Vikrant Tongad as a contempt petition and the one on air pollution has been filed by advocate Vardhaman Kaushik, in whose case the NGT banned petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than ten years.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Delhi smog")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}