Manipur High Court directs State to lift mobile internet ban in areas untouched by violence.
In the case of Aribam Dhananjoy Sharma and Ors vs. the State of Manipur and Ors, the Manipur High Court directed the State of Manipur to open and operationalize mobile towers on a trial basis in district headquarters unaffected by violence.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui further directed the State to extend the services to other areas if the law and order situation permits.
It clarified that even in districts partially affected by violence, mobile towers should be operationalized right away in those areas that have not been affected.
The Court also directed the government to upload on its official website copies of all orders related to the suspension of internet services in Manipur.
STUBBLE- BURNING CASE
Stubble burning has to stop, it is a substantial contributor to air pollution: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on 7th November, in the case of M.C.Mehta v. UOI (Re; Crop Burning), opined that the practice of stubble burning by farmers in the northern States of Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan should be stopped since it contributes significantly to air pollution in the northern region of the country, including the national capital Delhi.
The Division Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia acknowledged that while stubble burning may not be the sole cause of air pollution, it remains a significant contributor.
The Court, therefore, opined that it must be halted one way or another. Delhi cannot continue in its present state, the Court added.
Further, the Court directed the Delhi Government to ensure that municipal solid waste is not burnt in the city during the open as it happens. Senior Advocate Aparajitha Singh, the amicus curiae in the matter, informed the Court that the smog towers installed by the Delhi Government, as per the earlier directions, were not working.
Terming the situation ‘ludicrous,’ the Court directed the Delhi Government to take immediate steps to repair the smog towers.
The Court also directed the Delhi Government to ensure that only the taxis registered in Delhi are plying in the capital as many taxis from other states carrying only one passenger are plying in the national capital region.
The Court, in its order, observed that a switchover to alternative crops other than paddy(which is not a native crop of Punjab) is required so as to ensure that the problem of stubble burning does not recur. The switch over can occur only if MSP is not given to paddy and is given to other crops. In this context, the Court noted that the Central Government is, in any case, pursuing a policy to encourage growing traditional crops.
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