Supreme Court asks Punjab, Haryana to apprise it of steps taken against stubble-burning

Taking note of stubble-burning leading to further worsening of air quality levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Punjab and Haryana governments to apprise it of the action taken to control the situation.

A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria also agreed to hear the plea on November 17.

"Let Punjab and Haryana governments respond on the steps taken to control stubble-burning," the CJI said.

Earlier, the bench had scheduled the matter for Wednesday. At the outset, senior advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan said that currently GRAP III is in force.

"Grap IV should be implemented. The AQI (air quality index) has crossed 450 at some places. There is drilling excavation happening outside a court here...That shouldn't happen at least within these premises," the senior lawyer said.

The CJI said action would be taken with regard to the construction activity.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a framework designed to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR region through a tiered system of measures based on the severity of air quality.

On Tuesday, senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who is assisting the bench as amicus curiae, said stubble-burning has commenced in a big way with impunity in Punjab and Haryana leading to further worsening the air quality levels in Delhi-NCR.