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939 fined ₹25 lakh for burning stubble in Haryana, says govt
During a virtual review meeting chaired by CAQM chairperson MM Kutty, in which deputy commissioners (DCs) were also present, chief secretary Kaushal said the state had already registered a 38% reduction in stubble burning cases compared to the previous year.
The Haryana government on Friday apprised the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region (NCR) about the “stringent measures” taken to reduce stubble burning cases, stating that till October end, 939 challans were issued against violators with a fines of over ₹25 lakh. Ironically, the air quality index (AQI) of seven NCR cities of the state turned severe the same day.
During a virtual review meeting chaired by CAQM chairperson MM Kutty, in which deputy commissioners (DCs) were also present, chief secretary Kaushal said the state had already registered a 38% reduction in stubble burning cases compared to the previous year.
An official spokesperson said that CAQM chairperson Kutty commended the DCs of Karnal and Kaithal for achieving over a 60% reduction in farm fires compared to the previous year.
“The CAQM chairperson acknowledged Haryana’s success in controlling farm fires, but stressed on the importance of close monitoring during the upcoming festival season to improve the AQI,” according to a statement.
Haryana government stated that it remained dedicated to eliminate unsustainable practices such as stubble burning and that this commitment is reflected in the recent notification, “Haryana Ex-situ Management of Paddy Straw-2023” scheme, issued on October 30. The scheme aims to ensure adequate supply of paddy straw to biomass-based projects.
Kaushal said the government is strictly monitoring farm fires by involving district/block-level enforcement teams, flying squads, village and block-level nodal officers. He said erring officials have also been suspended.
The state government is exploring the industrial utilisation of paddy straw by identifying clusters of villages that produce biomass near various industries. Industrial utilisation of about 14 lakh MT paddy straw is projected for the current year, Kaushal said.
Raghavendra Rao, chairman of Haryana Pollution Control Board, directed DCs to monitor mining and excavation activities and ensure that no waste is burned in the open. He emphasised the importance of sweeping roads and implementing government-enforced measures.
Additional chief secretary (ACS, environment, forest and wildlife) Vineet Garg, (ACS, public health engineering) AK Singh, director (agriculture) Narhari Singh Banger, and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.
AQI of 7 cities severe
As per the central pollution control board (CPCB) bulletin about Air Quality Index (AQI), which is the average of the past 24 hours, the AQI value of Bahadurgarh (404), Faridabad (460), Fatehabad (432), Hisar (456), Jind (447), Rohtak (424) and Sonepat (455) was ‘severe’ on Friday.
The cities where the AQI was very poor were Ballabgarh, Gurugram, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Manesar and Palwal.
Barring Gurugram and Faridabad, most of the cities of Haryana have only one each air quality monitoring locations.
28 farm fires recorded in a day
As per the state agriculture department, the state recorded 28 farm fire cases on Friday, taking the season’s total to 1,372. A day before the state had recorded 48 farm fires.
The maximum cases so far have come from Fatehabad with 246, Kaithal 196, Jind 176, Ambala 173, Kurukshetra 141. Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Mahendergarh, Nuh, Rewari have not recorded any stubble burning cases until now, while Panchkula has had one case.
