SC Issues Notice To Governments Asking Why Citizens Must Not Get Compensation If Clean Air, Water Can’t Be Ensured
[ By Bobby Anthony ]The Supreme Court has issued notices to all states and union territories to explain why their citizens should not be paid compensation if governments fail to provide them with clean air and water.The bench stated that it would begin by making the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP must pay compensation to Delhiites. These states must be held accountable...
The Supreme Court has issued notices to all states and union territories to explain why their citizens should not be paid compensation if governments fail to provide them with clean air and water.
The bench stated that it would begin by making the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP must pay compensation to Delhiites. These states must be held accountable for stubble burning which causes air pollution in the national capital region, the bench stated.
The court said it may expand the scope of the petitions to include river pollution and the pollution caused by industrial effluents released into air and water.
The order came in response to a petition which had highlighted the high air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region.
Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Deepak Gupta stated that people in Delhi are live in a gas chamber and are dying due to cancer and other lung ailments due to which their life spans get shorter.
Justice Mishra stated that in a welfare state, governments are constitutionally bound to provide clean air and water to all their citizens.
He said the time has come for all governments to act together to grapple with the menace or face constitutional tort action from citizens.