‘GIVING 24 HRS…' SC raps Centre, Delhi govt over rising air pollution in Capital

‘Will have to do something extraordinary if the authorities fail to control pollution’

NEW DELHI: Nothing is happening on the ground to control the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court said on Thursday and directed the Centre and Delhi government to come out with suggestions to control the pollution within 24 hours, observing, “you cannot fire bullets from our shoulders”.

Stating that “we cannot... infuse creativity in your bureaucracy”, the Apex Court warned it will have to do something extraordinary if the authorities failed to control pollution.

A special bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said it expected serious action on the ground to bring down pollution levels.

“We think that nothing is happening as the pollution level is increasing. We think that we are wasting our time... We are giving you 24 hours. We want you to take a hard look at this and come up with a solution with seriousness,” said the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta requested the bench for one more day to respond to the concerns expressed by the court.

“Mr Mehta, we expect serious action. If you can’t take, then we will take. We are giving you 24 hours,” the bench said.

The top court said that governments cannot fire from the Court’s shoulders but should instead take effective measures to solve the problem.