Centre’s plan for legislation to deal with air pollution, including stubble burning, prompts move.
The Supreme Court on Monday kept in abeyance its October 16 order appointing a one-man panel of retired apex court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur to monitor the steps taken by neighbouring states to prevent stubble burning, which is a major cause of pollution in the Delhi-national capital region (NCR).
A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde passed the order while considering the Centre’s stand that it is coming out with comprehensive legislation to deal with air pollution, including the aspect of stubble burning.
"The only issue is people are choking because of pollution and it is something which must be curbed,” said the bench, also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the Centre has taken a “holistic view” of the matter and the draft of the proposed law on curbing pollution would be submitted in the apex court within four days.
In its October 16 order, the top court had ordered the deployment of National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, and Bharat Scouts and Guides for assisting in the monitoring of stubble burning in the agricultural fields of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi-NCR, saying all it wants is that “people of Delhi-NCR can breathe fresh air without any pollution”.