'God may have heard prayers, no thanks to govt': SC on Delhi air pollution

The Supreme Court asked the government why speed on curbing air pollution comes only after the court intervenes every year

The Supreme Court on Friday asked governments what they were doing to curb pollution in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana and said prayers to God may have helped bring down pollution due to the rains, but the government deserved no credits.

"God may have heard the prayers of people and intervened, no thanks to the government," said the court, while referring to the overnight and morning showers in Delhi-NCR that helped bring down the pollution a little.

The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas expressing concerns over rising air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas when it made the observation.

The court further asked the government why the alacrity of curbing air pollution increases only after the court intervenes every year. During the hearing, amicus Aparajita Singh said stubble burning is the cause of 24 per cent of air pollution, while coal and fly ash contribute 17 per cent and vehicular pollution 16 per cent.

The court also made observations about incidents of farm fires, especially in Punjab, and told governments that farmers must be given incentives to shift to more sustainable means of disposing of crop residue.

"We want farm fires stopped, we want air quality to get better. It's your business how it occurs… The decline must go on during the Diwali holidays," the Supreme Court told the governments.

"We suggested a methodology, you do it however you want. But farm fires must be stopped. Some emergency measures are required to stop the farm fires," the court reiterated.

"There have to be incentives for a farmer to switch over," the Supreme Court said, adding that the government must take a carrot-and-stick approach.

"You will register FIRs, they will be withdrawn. This is again a political issue...what is the point...If the farmers, despite fires, do not use the machines, are unwilling to pay 5-10 per cent...what are you going to do?" the court asked the governments.

Further, expressing concerns over reducing groundwater in Punjab, the top court said there is a need to phase out paddy cultivation in the state. "The water table in Punjab is going down. We don't want another desert there. Phasing out of paddy is needed," the court said.