Haryana turns to incentives as fines don’t end stump burning
The air quality in New Delhi started dipping this week, bringing back concerns over burning of crop residue by farmers in surrounding states such as Haryana.
The air quality index in the capital went from moderate on Wednesday to poor on Thursday, coinciding with a change in wind direction that also pushed up particulate matter content.
“Delhi is now in a transition phase. The south westerly winds are gradually giving way to the north westerly winds. We have to be very cautious with our ground level activities. Unbridled biomass burning could deteriorate the air quality further,” said Dipankar Saha, head of the air quality lab in Central Pollution Control Board.
Stubble burning is a major source of pollution in Delhi and various studies have indicated that it could contribute from 12 – 60% of the Delhi’s pollution load during winter depending upon weather conditions.
Till Wednesday at least 14 confirmed cases of crop burning were detected from Haryana and seven more were reported.
“Our teams have rushed to the spot to verify if they were cases of crop burning,” said a senior official of Haryana Pollution Control Board. The Haryana government claims to have several mechanisms in place, including harder action and new schemes, to tackle the problem.
Burning of agriculture residues in Haryana was banned in 2003, but the practice is common in paddy growing areas in 10 of the total 22 districts of the state: Ambala, Fatehabad, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sonepat and Yamunanagar.
During the last paddy harvest season, the state government had registered 1,797 cases and recovered ₹19.38 lakh in fines. In case of wheat, the last harvest season saw 1,147 cases and led to ₹10.3 lakh in fine, Dheera Khandelwal, additional chief secretary, environment, told Hindustan Times.
Haryana chief secretary DS Dhesi said a biomass policy is
being framed and would be implemented soon. It is also for the first time that the sarpanches of gram panchayats too would be made answerable. Action will be initiated against sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), patwaris and gram sachivs (secretaries) who fail to report such cases, Dhesi said.
The principal secretary, agriculture, Abhilaksh Likhi said crop stubble will be reused as fodder at cattle sheds. Farmers are unhappy with the fine. “We are ready to stop burning of paddy but the government
should provide us alternative. Imprisonment and fine is not the solution,” said Deshraj Sharma, a paddy grower from Karnal.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union, as well as the principal opposition party in Haryana Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), have also vehemently condemned the government’s punitive actions. Officials said more incentives are now being given to farmers. “We will give Rs 50,000 to a gram panchayat each which would collectively check it,” agriculture department director D K Behera said.