"We cannot have another gas chamber situation," the Delhi High Court said on Friday and issued a slew of directions to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop stubble burning.
A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sunil Gaur also asked the Centre, Delhi government and the local authorities in Delhi to inform it about the latest position with regard to the steps taken for solid waste management and disposal.
The court's directions came on a PIL initiated by it in 2015 and another petition filed by a person for addressing the issue of poor air quality in the national capital.
The order on burning of crop residue was passed by the court as this practice starts from the month of October and continues up to January, during which the air quality of these states and especially of Delhi deteriorates.
"Considering the facts on record and the submission of the parties, and given that the Kharif crop is to be harvested, there is a strong likelihood that the burning of agricultural residue will be resorted to during in season as well,” the bench said.
The effects of such a practice can again be traumatic for most people and catastrophic for some. We cannot have another gas chamber situation.Delhi High Court bench
The bench directed the four states to "strictly" implement "in letter and spirit" the notifications issued by their respective governments under the Air Pollution Act banning such activity.
It also ordered the state governments to direct all the companies and public sector undertakings involved in power generation, board and rough paper manufacture, cement production and others, to collect the crop residue from farmers in exchange for money as part of their corporate social responsibility.
The bench said if the companies do this, then the states or the Centre would not have to spend on prevention of stubble burning.
It also directed the local authorities of each state and Delhi to strictly implement the Graded Response Action Plan notified by the Centre in January this year for combating air pollution in the national capital region.
The bench ordered the Centre to monitor sites where agricultural waste is burnt by tracking them through satellites.
The four states, Delhi and the Centre were also asked to file brief affidavits disclosing the measures taken before the next date of hearing on 16 October.
(This article was edited for length)
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