Stubble burning will increase the number of emergencies in the current situation.
New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court on Monday notified all defendants of a plea requesting instructions from authorities to take immediate action to prevent stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in light of of the COVID-19 situation.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Judge Prateek Jalan asked for the response from all respondents, including the Center, neighboring states and the Central Pollution Control Board and others, and has scheduled a new hearing on October 22. .
The petition, filed by a Sudhir Mishra through attorneys Petal Chandhok and Ritwika Nanda, asked the respondents to send teams of experts to these three states to implement effective measures to combat stubble burning.
Stubble burning will lead to a massive increase in the number of emergencies in the current situation of widespread COVID-19, the advocacy argued.
The request / petition was moved to an ongoing case in 2015 related to air pollution, said the high level of pollution caused by stubble burning also affects respiratory functions in humans, which weakens the immune system.
The deadly virus, which has claimed the lives of more than 92,000 citizens so far, attacks respiratory organs and the human body’s immune system, the plea added.
The advocacy also argued that thatch burning has already started in parts of Punjab, indicating a gigantic 6% increase in thatch burning incidents over the past week.
Depending on the medium, there are results that clearly show a direct link between the increase in air pollution and the worsening of the current situation.
“As air quality is a public good, central coordination to tackle the problem becomes even more important, implying that the tri-state government should come together and take immediate action to prevent farmers from burning the crop residues. Overall, the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana must act quickly before the health of Delhi’s NCT citizens falls into the state-enhanced emergency, ”the plea said.
“The prevention, control and promotion of the ever growing threat of air pollution in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which is damaging the image, livability, business prospects and commerce, the growth of the tourism sector and the health of the citizens of India visiting Delhi, thus violating among others the fundamental rights to life and occupation of Indian citizens, and more particularly of NCT Delhi ”, a- he added.
