SC bans construction, demolition in Delhi
New Delhi, Nov. 4: Terming the severe air pollution in Delhi-NCR as “atrocious”, the Supreme Court banned all construction and demolition activities in the region, along with burning of garbage and waste, on Monday.
The court, which observed that people could not be “left to die” due to the “worse-than-emergency situation”, said those carrying out construction and demolition activities, despite its order, would be fined `1 lakh.
It added that a penalty of `5,000 would be imposed if anyone was found burning garbage and waste in the region. A bench comprising justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta said in case of any violation, the local administration and zonal officers would be held responsible.
It said the prevailing situation in the area was a “blatant and grave violation of the right to life of an individual” and scientific data suggested that the life span of people had reduced due to this.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, however, said the responsibility of forming the state government was with the BJP. “The mandate given by the people of Maharashtra to the NCP is to sit in the Opposition, but you cannot speak about the future.”
The NCP-Congress tally surprised many even in their own parties. The success is chiefly ascribed to Mr Pawar’s relentless campaign and the ED case against him, that he successfully managed to turn into a political tool to make a comeback.
On Monday, Mr Pawar said that at the meeting with the Congress president he apprised her of the current political situation in the state, but did not exactly discuss government formation.
Sources told this newspaper that a section of the Congress leadership is opposed to the idea of getting into any kind of political arrangement with the Shiv Sena, citing deep ideological differences. However, another section, chiefly consisting of Maharashtra leaders, feels any such opportunity should be explored as it gave out positive vibes to party workers.
Asked about the possibility of President’s Rule in the state, Mr Pawar said: “We do not want that. We want the people who got the mandate to form the government”.