A day after the Supreme Court ordered the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to immediately stop stubble burning, students, parents and teachers in Delhi-NCR have heaved a sigh of relief as farm fires substantially contribute to toxic air pollution in the region.
The court on Tuesday asked the states to immediately stop farm fires, making the in-charges of local police stations responsible for the same under the supervision of the respective chief secretary.
“We direct the state government of Punjab and for that matter, all states adjacent to Delhi – Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and some parts of Delhi – to ensure that crop burning is stopped forthwith and the local SHO is made responsible for it under the overall supervision of the Chief Secretary for the time being,” it said.
The court’s order came in the wake of a petition highlighting the toxic air quality in Delhi-NCR. The region has been witnessing
severe air quality over the past 4-5 days, with the air quality index (AQI) recording over 400 on an average. An AQI over 300 means hazardous air quality that’s very dangerous for people’s lungs.
The reaction
Students, parents and teachers have all welcomed the much-needed order at a time when the authorities have failed to act against the polluters.
“The authorities never take action to curb air pollution and would engage in politics to hide their incompetency. We are really very elated that the apex court has finally forced them to act. Afterall it’s a matter of our and our children’s health. Children can’t suffer year after year due to pollution every year,” says Ritanu Baghel, a parent in Delhi.
Anita Pandey, a Class IX student of Salwan International School, who a few days back appealed to the authorities to take care of children “by at least saving our lungs” also heaved a sigh of relief. “Finally, the court has come to our rescue. They have done their part and now it’s the responsibility of the authorities to do their bit to get us out of this gas chamber,” she adds.
Priya Sharma, a teacher with DPS-Delhi, says that though the court has given a order that was much-needed, the schools won’t start physical classes right away. “Even if farm fires stop, it will take at least one week for the region’s air to return to normalcy. So, our school is closed as of now,” she says.
It may be mentioned here that all primary institutions in Delhi have been ordered to close till November 10 and schools asked to consider holding online classes for classes 6-12 in the wake of the worsening pollution levels in the region.
“First Covid and now pollution. If not only our health but our studies that are suffering. The authorities never act beforehand but they should now at least implement the court’s order. We can’t suffer like this, we have a right to live healthy,” says Sushila Dang, a student of DPS-Delhi.
