Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of India pulled up the Governments of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana to take immediate steps to stop stubble burning by farmers in the state as the air quality amid the national capital, Delhi, worsened. The SC bench, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia made the local State House Officer responsible for preventing crop burning under the overall supervision of the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police. It also directed to hold a meeting tomorrow between the states to ensure that crop burning is stopped forthwith. The hearing was adjourned till Friday (November 10, 2023).
During the SC hearing, Justice Kaul told Advocate General of Punjab Gurminder Singh, “We want it (stubble burning) stopped. We don’t know how you do it, it’s your job. But it must be stopped. Something has to be done immediately.” He added, “We do not care how you do it…it must stop. Whether by sometimes forceful actions and sometimes by incentives…You have to stop the fire. Your administration must do so. Your local SHO must be held responsible… from today onwards they must start working on it.” Justice Kaul also said, “We are not saying that stubble burning is the only contributor but it is a significant factor.”