Explain what steps you have taken on stubble burning: Supreme Court to CAQM

NEW DELHI: With rising incidents of stubble burning in NCR and its neighbouring states posing a threat of further deterioration of air pollution levels in Delhi, Supreme Court on Tuesday sought an explanation from the Commission for Air Quality Management for Delhi-NCR on steps it has taken to address the problem.
A bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Augustine George Masih asked CAQM to come up with an answer on Friday when it would take stock of the situation.
"We want an answer to this on Friday," the bench told additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati after senior advocate Aparajita Singh brought to the court's notice the problem and sought its immediate intervention
Ahead of winter, which always brings stubble burning-induced suffocating and life-threatening pollution for NCR residents, the apex court on August 27 decided to take stock of the measures to be taken to control the pollution in the region.
It had also asked the CAQM chairperson to brief the court about the actions he was planning to take to check pollution level during winter, particularly the damage caused to the environment due to stubble burning.
The bench had noted that it was up to CAQM to control the situation as pollution control boards of Delhi and its four surrounding states were defunct and non-functional because of a large number of vacancies.
The authorities that are supposed to control pollution - state pollution control boards of Delhi and its neighbouring states - work with just 1/3 of its sanctioned staff strength.
The case of Delhi is the worst as there are 233 posts vacant out of a total sanctioned strength of 344, which means that the Delhi State Pollution Control Board is functioning with just 33% of its sanctioned staff.