‘Punjab should take cue from Haryana, take swift steps against stubble burning’

“Based on data provided by CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management), and the inputs provided by the state governments, it emerged that the current crisis situation is majorly on account of stubble burning. 38% of air pollution level was contributed by stubble burning on November 8. Immediate steps are, therefore, needed to check further stubble burning during the remaining harvesting season, particularly in Punjab,” according to sources in the Central government.

The Decision Support System developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology estimated the contribution of stubble burning to PM2.5 levels in Delhi to be 23.692% on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had asked the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP to take urgent steps to stop farm fires. The court had directed that the Cabinet Secretary call for a meeting of all stakeholders for immediate action. Sources said the Cabinet Secretary has directed that the Punjab government should take “effective actions to stop further stubble burning”, adding responsibility should be fixed on divisional commissioners, district magistrates, senior superintendents of police, and station house officers to ensure there is no further burning.

From September 15 to November 7, 22,644 instances of stubble burning were recorded, including 20,978 in Punjab and 1,605 in Haryana.

The CAQM has been directed to send out flying squads to Punjab and Haryana and submit daily reports on incidents of farm fires and status of enforcement of directions of the Supreme Court. The Punjab and Haryana governments have also been directed to make full use of available machinery to prevent further burning. The issue of smog towers and their efficiency were also discussed at the meeting and sources said that they are not a solution to the air pollution problem.

(With inputs from PTI)