Be extra vigilant in districts close to Delhi: CPCB to state
STUBBLE TROUBLE PPCB to focus on curbing cases in Mansa, Sangrur, Patiala & Bathinda
CHANDIGARH: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked Punjab to be extra vigilant in checking stubble burning cases in districts that are close to Delhi.
“There are more chances that the smoke from the burning of stubble in districts of Punjab on the borders of Haryana will contribute to smog over the national capital. This leads to the formation of a thick-jacket in Delhi post-diwali, so we were told to be more vigilant in these districts,” said Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) member secretary Krunesh Garg who attended the meeting.
CPCB chairman SPS Parihaar chaired the meeting that officials of the state pollution control boards of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh attended.
Garg added that Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda, Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib districts had reported the highest number of cases last year.
“In Sangrur, for instance, only one village refrained from stubble burning. If fires can be controlled in Mansa, Sangrur, Patiala and Bathinda there would be a visible difference in the number of cases,” he added. Last year, the total number of cases from these districts was 19,554.
Overall, in the 2018 kharif season, 50,479 cases were reported. This was an increase over the corresponding period in 2017; the area, however, had fallen 10% over the previous year.
Last week, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had asked Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to depute a person each to report daily on air pollution due to stubble burning.
Saying that stubble burning raises carbon dioxide levels in the air by 70%, the tribunal had also asked these states to sensitise farmers.
Garg added that after the
orders, senior officers of the rank of administrative secretaries were made in-charge of each district.
It was also made mandatory to install super straw management machines in all harvest machines for in-situ management of paddy stubble.
‘DELIVERY OF MACHINES TO PICK UP FROM OCTOBER 25’
Speaki ng on slow pace of delivery of machines to farmers Manmohan Kalia, a nodal officer for crop residue management, told HT, “The pace of delivery of these machines will pick up once wheat sowing begins in the state, from October 25 to November 1.”
He added that the Punjab government had sought an extension in deadline for delivering these subsidised machines for management for paddy stubble to farmers to November 15.
NO FINES IMPOSED FOR OVER A MONTH
Last year, state government agencies, including the PPCB, in assistance with district administration officials visited 30,550 burning sites, of 45,000 reported cases. The agencies had imposed
The board collects stubble burning data and sends district-wise locations to respective administrations for action. We asked for action against 826 sites where stubble was found to be burnt on Wednesday.
KRUNESH GARG, PPCB member secretary