Haryana government is planning to deploy drones to monitor farm fires as the paddy procurement exercise began in the state on Thursday.
After the chief secretary Anurag Rastogi reviewed the state’s action plan for elimination of stubble burning in compliance with commission for air quality management (CAQM) directions, the state government said that the deputy commissioners (DCs) will finalise in advance the villages and locations where drones will fly.
“The state is also moving towards drone-based surveillance. In accordance with CAQM directions, Haryana is in the process of deploying drones in association with Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana (DRIISHYA) for monitoring stubble-burning incidents,” the spokesperson said.
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered a factor contributing to an alarming spike in air pollution in the national capital during October and November. As the window for sowing wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers tend to set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue.
Haryana will deploy a dedicated “parali protection force” at district and block levels to prevent paddy stubble burning, intensify late-evening patrolling and use drones for surveillance.
The neighboring state of Punjab has recently undergone a similar development.
The state’s enforcement plan stipulates three actions in every verified case of paddy stubble burning that includes registration of an FIR, challan and a “red entry” in the farmer’s land record. “Appropriate environmental compensation charges (ECC) will also be imposed and recovered from violators,” the spokesperson said.
{{/usCountry}}The state’s enforcement plan stipulates three actions in every verified case of paddy stubble burning that includes registration of an FIR, challan and a “red entry” in the farmer’s land record. “Appropriate environmental compensation charges (ECC) will also be imposed and recovered from violators,” the spokesperson said.
{{/usCountry}}The state has deputed 8,134 village-level nodal officers for field monitoring. Haryana has around 6.2 lakh registered paddy farmers across 5,600 villages, covering about 3.41 million acres. So far, nodal officers have covered 6.04 lakh farmers.
The chief secretary directed all concerned departments, DCs and field officers to maintain close coordination, intensify ground-level monitoring and ensure prompt action against every verified instance of stubble burning.