Do You Want Us To Ban Industries in Pakistan? Supreme Court to UP Govt

"UP is downwind, air is mostly coming from Pakistan," Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the UP government, said in court.

An anti-smog gun sprays water droplets to curb air pollution, in Gurugram. Image used for representation.

(Photo: PTI)

The Supreme Court on Friday, 3 December, while hearing the Delhi-NCR air pollution matter, asked the Uttar Pradesh government if it wanted the apex court to impose a ban on Pakistan’s industries. This came after senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the UP government, argued that polluted air from Pakistan was causing Delhi's air pollution.

"UP is downwind, air is mostly coming from Pakistan," Kumar stated in court, according to LiveLaw, adding that whatever is happening is not necessarily in Uttar Pradesh.

"So you want to ban industries in Pakistan?" CJI NV Ramana asked in reply.

The UP government made this comment while requesting the apex court to not impose restrictions on sugar mills and milk industries in the state to fight pollution, saying that only eight hours for sugar mills to run was not enough.

Measures to Mitigate Air Pollution

The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas has said that industrial operations in NCR not running on CNG/cleaner fuels are allowed to operate only for up to eight hours from Monday to Friday only, news agency ANI reported.

The Centre, in an affidavit submitted on Thursday, 2 December, stated that only five out of the 11 thermal power plants within a 300 km radius of Delhi will be allowed to operate until 15 December.

Entry of all trucks to Delhi has also been banned, with the exception of CNG and electric trucks as well as those carrying essential goods.

Meanwhile, all schools and colleges in Delhi-NCR will remain closed until further orders except for conducting examinations.

At the previous hearings, the SC had ordered a construction ban in the capital. However, the Supreme Court on Friday permitted the Delhi government to continue with construction activities of hospitals.

(With inputs from LiveLaw and ANI.)