Breathing became a crime, when the issue of poisonous air reached the Supreme Court, this request was made to the judges:

News India Live, Digital Desk : Delhi-NCR Air Pollution : Many cities of North India, including the country’s capital Delhi, have become ‘gas chambers’ at present. The air has become so poisonous that even breathing has become difficult. In view of this deadly level of pollution, this matter has now reached the country’s highest court, the Supreme Court. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court requesting that this dangerous situation be declared a “National Public Health Emergency”.

What is the petition and who has made this demand?

This PIL has been filed by a lawyer, demanding immediate and strict action against the air pollution that has gone out of control in the country, especially Delhi-NCR. The petitioner says that like every year, this year too the governments have completely failed to stop pollution and common people have been left to die in the poisonous air.

These big demands have been made in the petition:

The petition demands not only declaration of emergency but also several concrete steps to deal with pollution. Prominent among these are:

1. Declaration of National Health Emergency: The biggest demand of the petition is that considering the seriousness of the situation, it should be immediately declared a national health emergency, so that it can be dealt with on a war footing.
2. Complete ban on stubble burning: It has been demanded that strict instructions should be given to the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to completely ban stubble burning in their states and take strict action against those who violate it.
3. Stopping dust pollution: It has been said in the petition that dust blowing from roads and construction sites is a major cause of pollution. To stop this, immediate instructions should be given to sprinkle water on the roads and cover the construction sites properly.
4. Re-implementing the Odd-Even Scheme: To reduce traffic pollution in Delhi-NCR, there has been a demand to strictly implement the odd-even scheme again.
5. Instructions to Central and State Governments: The petition demands instructions to the Central and all state governments to make a permanent and effective policy to prevent air pollution.

Why does this problem increase every year?

This is not the first time that the air of Delhi-NCR and North India has become so bad. Every year at the beginning of winter, the air quality index (AQI) reaches the “severe” or “hazardous” category due to stubble burning, vehicular smoke, industrial pollution and adverse weather conditions.

Now all eyes are on the Supreme Court to see what stand it takes on this PIL. If the court gives some big and strict instructions in this matter, then perhaps the general public can get some relief from this poisonous smoke.