The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday sharply rebuked the Delhi and Punjab governments over severe air pollution in the national capital.
A bench of Justices S.K. Kaul and S. Dhulia while hearing a clutch of petitions about air pollution in Delhi every winter asked both the states to take action against the burning of agricultural waste.
Notably, the governments in Delhi and Punjab are led by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The court also asked Punjab government to offer measures of support to farmers in terms of settling agricultural waste so that they don’t burn it and it doesn’t deteriorate air quality in the state as well as neighbouring Delhi further.
“This is the most polluted November in six years... the problem is known (and) it is your job to control it,” the court told the state governments of Delhi and Punjab as well as Uttar Pradesh.
The top court also asked Punjab government to take cue from Haryana and provide financial assistance to farmers so that they don’t burn stubble.
“For poor farmers, the state should fund 100 per cent of machinery... this is the duty of the state,” the court said.
The apex court also suggested that farmers who are burning stubble should be deprived of Minimum Support Price (MSP) benefits as a part of the economic repercussions of their actions.