'No prosecutions, mere eyewash': SC raps Punjab, Haryana govts over stubble burning leading to Delhi pollution
A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka, Justice A Amanullah, and Justice AG Masih, said the Punjab and Haryana governments' efforts to stamp out farm fires is "mere eyewash".
The Supreme Court on Wednesday took Punjab, Haryana government to task over stubble burning leading to Delhi air pollution. On October 16, the Court summoned Chief Secretaries of the Punjab & Haryana governments after expressing severe disapproval over the lack of proper legal action against stubble burning in the state. In the last hearing, the Court noted that not a single prosecution had taken place against stubble-burning incidents. It had asked the Commission for Air Quality (CAQM) to take penal action against state officers for failing to discharge their functions.
The bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih, said, "It is submitted from your side that around 1080 violators FIRs were registered, but you have collected this nominal fine from only 473 people. You are sparing 600 or more people. We will tell you very frankly that you are giving signal to violators that nothing will be done against them. This has been for the past three years."
The Supreme Court also pulled up the Centre for making the environment protection law “toothless”, and said the provision under the CAQM Act which deals with penalty for stubble burning was not being implemented. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati pointed out that over 1,000 cases of stubble burning have taken place in several districts of Punjab like Amritsar, Ferozepur, Patiala, Sangrur, Taran Taran.