‘It is all in the air’: SC raps Delhi air quality panel over pollution, stubble burning

The Supreme Court Friday rapped the Commission for Air Quality Management over its failure to curb air pollution due to crop residue burning.

A bench of Justice Abha S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih said the air quality panel needs to be more active in its approach. The top court said efforts are needed to ensure that stubble-burning alternative equipment is used at the grassroots level.

It directed the panel to file a better compliance report.

"There has been total non-compliance of the Act. Please show us a single direction issued to any stakeholder under the Act," Justice Oka said, questioning whether any substantive steps had been taken to address the problem.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, read from an affidavit, outlining steps such as issuing advisories and guidelines to manage the crisis. However, the court was unimpressed with these efforts.

"It is all in the air, nothing they have shown regarding what has been done in the National Capital Region (NCR) states," Bar and Bench quoted Justice Oka as saying.

(With inputs from ANI)