"Hope You're Enjoying Weather": Supreme Court's Quip On Delhi Pollution

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today said the procurement price for crop stubble (parali) should be announced well in advance and the management system for it should be provided to gram panchayats, as it heard a petition on the air pollution crisis in the National Capital Region (NCR). A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana opened the proceedings with a remark from the Chief Justice about the city that has enforced tight anti-pollution measures: "I hope you all are enjoying the weather in Delhi."After hearing all the parties in the matter, Justice Kant said the more orders the Supreme Court passes, the more instances of non-compliance will occur. "It's simply human nature."Responding to the bench, senior lawyer Aparajita Singh, who is helping the Supreme Court as the amicus curiae, said air pollution levels remain hovering around the "severe" category and were even affecting her voice. She said breathing the region's air is equivalent to an individual "smoking 30 cigarettes every day".The Supreme Court also noted that pollution levels had previously dipped due to rainfall and expressed hope that farm fires had stopped as farmers prepare for the next sowing season.To this, Singh said stubble-burning contributed 14 per cent to Delhi's pollution levels. "Delhi is already highly polluted," she said, adding that farm fires further exacerbate the situation, which needed urgent intervention to stop both stubble-burning and local-level pollution, including waste-burning.The bench then asked about the role of urban emissions in creating a situation where air pollution is very high. It questioned whether stubble-burning was the only cause of the crisis or whether "the affluent class and their private vehicles" were also a major problem."Stubble, we keep on talking about... You have provided equipment. Maybe some may still be hesitant about it. What about elite class people? Vehicles, high-end cars all operate..." the Supreme Court said.Singh responded that transportation is indeed the primary source of air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). This in turn also drew a response from Chief Justice Kant, who noted that vehicular emissions are also a major contributor to air pollution, made worse by traffic moving bumper-to-bumper on roads connecting Delhi and NCR neighbourhoods.Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said a scheme is already in place and the government has submitted a note outlining key measures tailored to different regions to tackle the issue of stubble-burning.To address the issue of air pollution as a result of vehicle emissions, Bhati told the Supreme Court that orders have been given to not allow any vehicle other than Bharat Stage 6 or BS-6 compliant ones to enter Delhi, alongside the phased removal of diesel-powered rickshaws and mandatory regulations for buses entering Delhi from other cities."Pollution certificates are geotagged from their point of issuance and fuel is not available without a certificate," Bhati said, adding the government is considering both immediate and medium-term measures to build on progress in the public transport sector.Singh, the amicus curiae, pointed out that a previous Supreme Court directive to prevent vehicles from idling for long periods at toll plazas is not being fully complied with as vehicles from the NCR are being stopped at Delhi's borders where they remain stationary for extended periods with their engines running, adding to air pollution, she said.From the government's perspective, Bhati said Delhi's geographical location prevents the dispersal of air during the winter months and cited the use of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) measures."I won't say there is a complete failure of these measures," Bhati said."But the AQI is already touching 400," the Chief Justice said, referring to the Air Quality Index."Yes, because many activities cause pollution," Bhati replied, adding that while long-term measures exist and management is ongoing, the festival season also added to the pollution load.