The
Supreme Court on Friday asked governments what they were doing to curb
pollution in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana and said prayers to God may have helped
bring down pollution due to the rains, but the government deserved no credits.
"God
may have heard the prayers of people and intervened, no thanks to the
government," said the court, while referring to the overnight and morning
showers in Delhi-NCR that helped bring down the pollution a little.
The
apex court was hearing a batch of pleas expressing concerns over rising air
pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas when it made the observation.
The
court further asked the government why the alacrity of curbing air pollution
increases only after the court intervenes every year. During the hearing,
amicus Aparajita Singh said stubble burning is the cause of 24 per cent of air
pollution, while coal and fly ash contribute 17 per cent and vehicular
pollution 16 per cent.
The
court also made observations about incidents of farm fires, especially in
Punjab, and told governments that farmers must be given incentives to shift to
more sustainable means of disposing of crop residue.
"We
want farm fires stopped, we want air quality to get better. It's your business
how it occurs… The decline must go on during the Diwali holidays,"
the Supreme Court told the governments.
"We
suggested a methodology, you do it however you want. But farm fires must be
stopped. Some emergency measures are required to stop the farm fires," the
court reiterated.
"There
have to be incentives for a farmer to switch over," the Supreme Court
said, adding that the government must take a carrot-and-stick approach.
"You
will register FIRs, they will be withdrawn. This is again a political
issue...what is the point...If the farmers, despite fires, do not use the
machines, are unwilling to pay 5-10 per cent...what are you going to do?"
the court asked the governments.
Further,
expressing concerns over reducing groundwater in Punjab, the top court said
there is a need to phase out paddy cultivation in the state. "The water
table in Punjab is going down. We don't want another desert there. Phasing out
of paddy is needed," the court said.