New Delhi. The petition related to increasing air pollution in Delhi and NCR was heard in the Supreme Court today. During this, the court rejected the suggestion of banning construction works in Delhi. A bench headed by CJI Justice BR Gavai said that a large number of people will be affected by this decision, instead we have to think about long-term solutions to prevent pollution. The court said that it is necessary to strike a balance between environmental concerns and development.
The court also said that the court cannot take the responsibility of pollution management of Delhi NCR every year, this responsibility rests with the central government. The court is not in favor of issuing any strict instructions to stop the increasing level of pollution because if construction work is stopped then it will affect the livelihood of many people and adverse consequences can be seen. The court has directed the central government to hold a meeting with the governments of UP, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and give suggestions on long-term solutions and has given 1 day’s time to do so. The court has also sought counter affidavit. The next hearing of the case will now be heard on Wednesday, November 19.
On the other hand, amid the increasing levels of pollution, in the meeting of the Northern Regional Council held today under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta raised the issue of environmental pollution. Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan participated in this meeting. Rekha Gupta appealed for cooperation from neighboring states and urged them to curb smoke from stubble burning, promote zero-emission inter-state transport, reduce dust on approach roads and enforce pollution controls in nearby industrial units.
