After being reprimanded by the NGT and being slashed down by many political parties, Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi seriously began thinking about the health emergency in Delhi. The heavy smog clouding over the national capital and the surrounding regions is becoming dangerous for the people with every passing day.
In order to curb the issue, AAP had suggested the implementation of implementing the odd even scheme, which was after hearing agreed to on by the NGT but without exemption to women and two-wheelers. After the NGT condition, AAP called an emergency meeting and called off the scheme as the Delhi government did not have the adequate number of buses required.
Following the meeting headed by Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, it was decided that they would once again file a petition considering a re-look on the exemption condition.
As reported earlier in the morning today, the Supreme Court had agreed to take up the hearing keeping in mind the seriousness of the situation.
As per the latest updates, in order o control the rapidly rising pollution, the Supreme Court has issued notices regarding the crop burning issue to the Centre and the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The court also observed that the prevailing condition was an emergency like situation.
Lawyer RK Kapoor, in his plea before the bench comprising Chief Justice Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said that the reason behind the alarming rise in pollution levels in the NCR and its adjoining areas is the rise in dust particles on roads and stubble burning in Delhi’s neighbouring states.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said that there won’t be any stay on matters pertaining to pollution which are going on before any other court. The court also issued notices to the centre and the concerned governments who sought a direction to promote solar energy and electric vehicles to check pollution.
Meanwhile, regarding the plea on a re-look on the implementation of the odd-even scheme, the NGT said that it will hear the plea tomorrow. Also, SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) has predicted that there are possibilities of a rain shower on the evening of November 14.
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan in order to calm the people, in his statement to the press, said that “There is a significant improvement in the air quality and also there is a possibility of rain. There is no need to panic. Pollution in Delhi will ease as the weather improves in a couple of days.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal had written a letter to the Chief Minister of Haryana, seeking a meeting with his counterpart to discuss a possible solution to the prevailing problem. To this Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar posted a letter, asking Kejriwal to rise about the electorate interest and confront the stubble burning issue that is rampant in Delhi as well.
He wrote:
My letter to Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal regarding stubble burning & pollution. pic.twitter.com/3rd9Qvi5RQ
— Manohar Lal (मोदी का परिवार) (@mlkhattar) November 13, 2017
Reacting to the letter of Haryana Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal replied that his office was constantly trying to fix a meeting.
Sir, my office is constantly trying to fix meeting https://t.co/47LwxvQmjp
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 13, 2017
Not leaving the opportunity to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi also mocked Modi on Twitter. With the help of a song from the 1978 film “Gaman“, he indirectly referred to government’s inaction on pollution. He tweeted:
सीने में जलन, आँखों में तूफ़ान सा क्यों है
इस शहर में हर शख़्स परेशान सा क्यों है?
क्या बताएँगे साहेब, सब जानकर अंजान क्यों हैं? https://t.co/XZLqsWD0CO
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 13, 2017
Meanwhile, The India Meteorological Department (MeT) also updated that very dense fog has been observed at most places over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan; while moderate to dense fog persists at a few places over Delhi (SFD/PLM) and rest Uttar Pradesh.
Keeping in mind the hazardous health emergency in Delhi, the schools had been shut down until Monday. The schools resumed on Monday in Delhi, however, remained to be closed in Gurugram. While the government is busy looking for a solution to the issue, despite the fresh surge in a petition, as the reopened today, angry parents accused Delhi authorities on Monday of “playing with children’s health”.
Ashok Agrawal, president of the All India Parents Association questioned that “There has been no let-up in the pollution levels. So if the situation is the same, action should be the same. Why open the schools now?”