Delhi government may move the courts over stubble burning

Arvind Kejriwal

The Delhi government may go to the courts if the neighbouring states and the central government do not take steps to curb stubble burning, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain said on Monday.

"We have seen reports in the media that stubble burning has started in some northern states, which will worsen the air quality of the national capital in coming days," Hussain said.

He said that in case effective steps are not taken, "The Delhi government may be left with no option but to knock on the doors of appropriate courts of law to seek their intervention and directions for time-bound effective actions by the Centre and the state governments concerned."

On October 5, Hussain had written to Union Minister of Environment Harsh Vardhan, requesting him to direct the neighbouring states to stop burning the crop residue, which adds to pollution in Delhi.

"I have been consistently writing to Minister Harsh Vardhan to convene a meeting with the Chief Ministers and Environment Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi to discuss the issue of stubble burning," Hussain said.

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