Crop residue burning: NGT asks states explain steps taken

With rising pollution level and smog over Delhi and adjoining areas, the National Green Tribunal today pointed to large scale burning of crop stubble in northern states as shown in satellite pictures, asking the states to comply with its earlier order in the matter.
The NGT directed these states including Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to file affidavits detailing steps taken by them to implement its order asking state governments to take coercive and punitive action against persistent defaulters of agricultural waste burning.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar said joint affidavits should be filed by secretaries of agriculture and environment of the states on personal verification, which should also mention the steps taken and future action plans, besides incentives given to farmers in return of crop residue taken from them for alternate purposes.

The details should also include number of equipments purchased by states to dispose agriculture residue from the fields, number of challans issued to defaulter farmers, the amount recovered from them, steps taken on media advertisements to educate farmers on the issue, the tribunal order and other relevant factors, the green panel said.
"In the event of non-filing of affidavit, the concerned secretary be present before the tribunal on December 2, the next date of hearing," it said.
The tribunal noted the submission of the counsel for the complainant that as per NASA images, there is large scale crop residue burning in several states, particularly in Punjab.

During the hearing, advocate Naginder Benipal, appearing for Punjab, told the bench that the secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forest has convened a meeting of UP, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana on November 3 to decide on the issue.

When the bench said none of the states have filed their affidavits, Punjab's counsel said he has filed it giving details of steps taken by them, future course of action and also seeking the Centre's aid which has not been given yet.
"We have issued challans to the defaulters and also educated the farmers through print and electronic media and gram panchayats," Benipal said.

Punjab claimed in its affidavit that the state was making continued efforts to curb the practice of straw burning there.
"Farmers have started adopting the technologies but their
large scale adoption will take more time. Also, the equipment cost is high and it is difficult for the small and marginal farmers, that counts to more than 65 per cent of total land holders, to purchase straw management equipment on their own. Management of crop residue from whole of the area under paddy, 30 lakh hectares, with available management options would require funds of Rs 11,497 crore," Punjab's affidavit said.
It said the state government alone cannot make this huge investment on providing straw management machines to the farmers and it was dependent on funds provided by the Centre under various centrally-sponsored schemes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and Sub Mission of Agricultural Mechanisation.

"Given the scale of problem and the capital investment needed to address the issue, the Central Government may be directed to launch a project to tackle the problem under mission mode approach or to provide necessary funds to the tune of Rs 11,497 crore approximately to the State," it said.
During the hearing, the bench while warning the states, remarked "your problem is that you sit at home and relax. You file false affidavit. You better be careful before filing false affidavit."
"There was a time when Punjab had the highest per capita income in the country and see today, you (Punjab) don't have a penny," it observed.

The tribunal, which has fixed fines on farmers for burning crop stubble to prevent smog over Delhi and its neighbourhood, had earlier directed Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to inform it about the generation of agriculture waste and steps taken to dispose them off.
Last year, the NGT had fixed the environment compensation amounts per incident of crop burning to be paid by small land owners having less than two acres of land at Rs 2500, medium land owners holding over two acres and less than five acres at Rs 5,000 and those owning over five acres at Rs 15,000.

It had also directed state governments to take coercive and punitive action against persistent defaulters of crop residue burning and asked them to withdraw the assistance provided to such farmers.
The green panel had said the five states - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi - which have issued notification prohibiting agriculture crop residue burning should ensure that these notifications are enforced rigorously and proper action is taken against the defaulters.
The NGT's order came on a plea by environmentalist Vikrant Tongad who had sought a ban on burning of agricultural waste and remnants in open fields.