Centre should bring law to tackle air pollution :BSP

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and national spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria on Tuesday welcomed Supreme Court's decision on the issue of rising pollution in Delhi and said that the Centre must bring some kind of law to curb the menace and access to clean air should be made the fundamental right of the people.

"There is an emergency like situation in the entire Delhi-NCR and many other parts of the country. So far, the government is failing to act appropriately over the issue and has not been successful in providing safe air to the people of the country. The government must act quickly so that those people especially elderly and children, who have been hit worst because of the air pollution, can be rescued," he said while speaking to ANI.

He also demanded for framing of necessary laws to combat the menace of air pollution.

"The government at the Centre as well as those in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab or Haryana must act decisively over the issue of air pollution. They should also introduce some new law in combating the air pollution. Clean air should be made the fundamental right of the people of the country. If they did not do anything, the people of the country will act when the time will come," he added.

The Supreme Court on Monday held the state governments responsible for the current situation of air pollution prevailing in Delhi-NCR and remarked that "those at the helm seem interested only in gimmicks."

The remarks by the apex court came during the hearing of air pollution case. The matter was being heard by Justice Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta. Additional Solicitor-General ANS Nadkarni appeared for the Centre.

"People are dying...more people will die but those at the helm seem interested only in gimmicks. We will supervise this matter now. Crop stubble burning must stop immediately and all states must do everything to stop it," the Supreme Court remarked.

"It is torture, and all officials, to the level of gram pradhans, should be held accountable. We must do something now. What's the administration left in Punjab, Haryana," the court questioned.

Justice Arun Mishra further remarked that people were not safe inside their own houses and it was unacceptable in a civilised country and asked what measures were being taken up by the government.