• Supreme Court summons Delhi pollution control panel chief on Friday with data

    National
    Supreme Court summons Delhi pollution control panel chief on Friday with data
    Kumar is expected to respond to inquiries about Delhi's declining air quality, an occurrence that now happens annually in the nation's capital during the winter months.


    Digital Desk: The Delhi Pollution Control Committee's chief, Ashwani Kumar, was called by the Supreme Court on Tuesday and asked to personally appear before it on Friday with real-time pollution data for the nation's capital.

    Kumar is expected to respond to inquiries about Delhi's declining air quality, an occurrence that now happens annually in the nation's capital during the winter months.

    The top court summoned the head of the Delhi pollution control panel after criticising the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan for their use of stubble burning. The court stated that Delhi could not be forced to endure years of extreme air pollution.

    "What is the solution? Delhi can’t be made to go through this," the top court bench said.

    The court has ordered a meeting with all parties connected to the case on Wednesday.

    Concern over air pollution is raised by the Supreme Court.
    The Supreme Court expressed grave worries about the significant effects that air pollution will have on coming generations. It also mentioned how hard it's become to go outside due to pollution, especially in Delhi during what used to be the nicest time of day.

    The court brought attention to how recurrent this problem is, pointing out that it occurs annually. Crop burning is one of the primary causes of Delhi's air pollution, the bench added.
    Aparajita Singh informed the court during the hearing that the Delhi pollution tower is not operational as an amicus curiae (assisting the court). The Delhi administration was chastised by the Supreme Court for this.
     
    Smog towers should be working 

    "It has been reported that the smog towers that were built subsequent to previous directives are not functioning. A follow-up inquiry revealed that the officer (in charge) had been the target of some disciplinary proceedings. It's absurd; we want towers to be operational," the Court said.

    Additionally, the top court ordered the government to make sure that, unlike during this time of year, solid trash is not burnt in the open in Delhi.

    The Supreme Court ordered the Central Pollution Control Board to submit a tabular report outlining the present state of affairs, including metrics like the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the number of fires, as the session came to an end.