New Delhi, November 15
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to call an emergency meeting on Tuesday to take measures like stopping non-essential construction transport and power plants and implementing work from home.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana, directed the secretaries concerned of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi to attend the meeting to make their submissions before the committee formed by it.
“After the affidavit filed by respondents and after hearing we come to the conclusion that the major culprits of pollution are construction activity, industry, tansport, power and vehicular traffic apart from stubble burning in some parts.
“We direct the Government of India to a call for an emergency meeting tomorrow and discuss the areas which we indicated and what orders they can pass to effectively control air pollution. So far, as stubble burning is concerned, broadly affidavits state that their contribution is not so much except for two months. However, at present a good amount of stubble burning is taking place in Haryana and Punjab,” the bench also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant said.
The top court asked the governments of Punjab and Haryana to pursue the farmers for two weeks not to do stubble burning.
“We direct the Government of India, NCR states to examine introducing work from home for employees,” the bench said.
