Don’t Pass The Buck, SC Tells Centre, Kejriwal On Pollution

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India came down heavily on authorities for failing to curb pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, saying every year people are losing their lives.

A bench of justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta asked the Centre to call environmental experts, including from IIT, to the court within 30 minutes.

"Can we survive in this atmosphere? This is not the way we can survive," the bench said adding that the authorities have left the people to die.

The court said it will not tolerate this and will fix liability on the state governments. "Delhi is choking every year and we are not able to do anything. Question is that every year this is happening," the bench said, adding, "It cannot be done in a civilised country".

Not just the pollution in Delhi, the apex court also took a serious note of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Western UP which is an annual affair.

"Why there should be unabated crop burning every year? Every year there is hue and cry. States know this but still they are not tackling this issue," the bench was quoted saying.

Calling the pollution in Delhi as atrocious, the court said that no one is even safe at their homes.

"It is too much. No one is safe even inside their house. It is atrocious," the bench said.

People are being advised not to come to Delhi due to pollution, state governments are responsible for this.

"You are asking people to die. Your states (Punjab and Haryana) are also badly affected. Is this the administration left in Punjab and Haryana? Every year this is happening. We will fasten the liability of states and panchayats also," the bench added.

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