New Delhi:
With the thick smog cover over the city, the Delhi government today said it will punish those found burning leaves and garbage. The law provides for a jail term of up to five years and a fine of Rs one lakh against the offenders.
Delhi Environment Secretary Sanjiv Kumar today issued instructions to all concerned agencies, including the municipal bodies, to strictly enforce the ban on the burning of leaves and garbage in the city.
"We will come down hard on the offenders as per provision of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 which provides for jail term upto five years with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or both," Kumar said.
The Delhi government had imposed the ban in 2010 to cut down air pollution; however, there have been question marks on how far agencies have been able to enforce it effectively.
Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna today attributed the smog and deteriorating air quality to increasing vehicular pollution in the city. However, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had yesterday said the smog cover was not due to vehicular pollution, but the result of massive burning of straw by farmers in the neighbouring states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
The decision to enforce the ban came a day after the Delhi cabinet expressed serious concern over the "unprecedented" smog cover engulfing the city for the last few days, seeking intervention of the central government.
Ms Dikshit had said her government will soon write to the Union Environment Ministry to impress upon the two states not to allow their farmers to resort to mass-burning of their paddy stubbles.
Mr Khanna today asked Delhiites to celebrate an environment-friendly Diwali by not bursting fire-crackers.
The Supreme Court too has expressed concern over the rising pollution and smog in the national capital.