SC raps Delhi police for not fully imposing cracker ban, asks commissioner to form special cell
New Delhi (PTI): Calling it a mere "eyewash", the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Delhi police for failing to comprehensively implement the firecracker ban in the national capital and only seizing raw materials.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih therefore directed the Delhi police commissioner to immediately inform all the stakeholders concerned about the ban order and ensure no sale and manufacture of crackers.
"We direct Delhi police commissioner to form a special cell to ensure effective implementation of the ban on fire crackers. We direct Delhi police commissioner to file a personal affidavit putting on record the steps taken by them to enforce ban," it said.
The top court wondered why the Delhi government delayed imposition of the ban on fire crackers till October 14, when the order of ban was issued.
"The right to live in a pollution-free atmosphere is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Prima facie, we are of the view that no religion promotes any activity that promotes pollution or compromises with health of the people," remarked the bench.
The top court further asked the Delhi government to decide before November 25 on a "perpetual" firecracker ban after consulting stakeholders.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
