-The Hindu The only way out for public policy for environmental damage is to place strong emphasis on individual and social cost of inaction Residents in the already polluted Capital experienced something of a turning point on Diwali. The belaboured, particulate-loaded air was further bombed with firecrackers. Some described the scene as a war zone with active shelling. People were angry not only because they could not physically breathe, but also because...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Delhi's air quality recorded "severe" levels on Saturday, a day before Diwali. A pall of smog was hanging over the city since morning. As forecast by IMD and SAFAR, the wind speed was very low, touching zero at times, which caused pollutants to accumulate very close to the surface. The Delhi government, meanwhile, blamed the high pollution levels on the farm stubble burning in Punjab and...

-PTI Chandigarh: The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has decided to honour and reward a girl from Jind district for reporting the case of stubble burning by her father to the authorities. Sonali Sheokhand, from Dhakhal village of Narwana, will be given a cash award of Rs. 11,000 for her exemplary contribution to the cause of prevention of crop residue/ stubble burning in the state, an official release said today. Her complaint recently...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Anti-cracker campaigns by the central and Delhi governments appeared to have made no significant impact as the capital celebrated another dirty Diwali, with fireworks well into the night, leaving the city's air choked with alarmingly high levels of pollution. Real time data showed levels of coarse pollution particles (PM 10) peak up to 19 times the national safe standard for 24 hours and levels of fine,...

-The Hindu SC to hear plea by 3 infants today; Centre keeps mum on the effects A plea by three infants in the Supreme Court for a ban on firecrackers during Deepavali has been strongly objected to in the Supreme Court by various organisations, one of them contending that “crackers are burst on Deepavali to celebrate the victory of good over evil” and a ban will “affect the traditional and customary rights...