Stubble Burning Ban

: The National Green Tribunal has been informed through a report that Punjab's stubble burning incidents have decreased by 70 per cent. The NGT previously sought regular reports from the authorities in the state on the issue of air pollution caused in the NCR owing to stubble burning. A report dated November 26 was filed by the director of agriculture and farmers' welfare department, saying "As a result of the efforts made by the state of Punjab, the number of paddy stubble burning incidents reduced from 36,551 on November 25, 2023, to 10,479 on November 25, 2024 -- a decrease of 70 per cent." The report stated about 19.52 million tonne of paddy straw was expected to be managed in the year through various means, including in-situ (managing paddy straw on the field) and ex-situ (transporting the straw for various uses) methods and using the residue for animal fodder. "In ex-situ management, primarily balers are used for collection of straw before transportation for industrial and ot

Despite reports of declining farm fires in Punjab, many now occur later in the day, possibly evading satellite detection

Farm fire cases reached the 8,000 mark in Punjab this season with the state reporting 136 such incidents on Saturday, data showed. Sangrur district reported 50 stubble-burning incidents during the day, the highest maximum in the state, followed by 30 in Ferozepur, 17 in Barnala and 12 in Patiala, according to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. On the same day in 2022 and 2023, the state saw 1,358 and 1,271 active farm fire events respectively. From September 15 to November 16, Punjab has seen a total of 8,000 stubble-burning incidents, registering around 75 per cent dip in crop residue burning in comparison to such cases in the corresponding period last year. Punjab had seen a total of 46,822 and 31,932 farm fires during the same period in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The state has seen an addition of around 4,000 farm fire incidents since November 3 this season. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting of the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for th

Punjab farmers have found a way to outwit Nasa satellite surveillance in the ongoing stubble-burning crisis by strategically timing their fires

The stricter penalties come in the wake of sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which had previously termed the earlier penalties 'toothless'

There has been a 29 per cent decline in stubble burning incidents this year compared to the corresponding year-ago period due to the significant steps being taken by the Haryana government for crop residue management, it said on Monday. Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, a state-specific scheme has been implemented to curb incidents of stubble burning, according to an official statement. This initiative provides financial assistance to farmers for crop residue management while setting zero-burning targets for panchayats. As a result of these efforts, there have been 713 recorded incidents of stubble burning this year, marking a 29 per cent reduction compared to the corresponding year-ago period, it said. However, strict action has been taken against law violators, the statement further said. Police cases have been registered against 192 farmers for burning stubble, it added. "So far, 334 challans have been issued and fines amounting to Rs 8.45 lakh recov

Penalties will range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15 lakh for general violators, and Rs 2,500-Rs 15,000 for each instance of stubble burning

The Supreme Court has reprimanded the Centre and state governments for failing to control stubble burning, emphasising citizens' right to a pollution-free environment

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) stood at 354 on Wednesday, marking an increase from the previous 24-hour average of 327, which falls under the 'very poor' category

Punjab Police said on Monday said it has lodged over 870 FIRs for stubble burning in over a month and imposed fines of Rs 10.55 lakh on the offenders. Besides, red entries have also been made in revenue records of nearly 400 farmers for burning crop residue, they further said. Red entries marked in revenue records makes it difficult for farmers to sell, mortgage their land or avail loans against it. Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said the Punjab Police, jointly with civil administration, has initiated a massive campaign to educate farmers about harmful effects of stubble burning and also the possible legal actions against those found putting matchstick to paddy straw. He said legal action is being initiated against those found burning stubble. "Till now, 1,393 farm fires were detected by satellites in the state, and joint teams were sent for inspection on the spot," Shukla said, adding that police teams have registered FIRs in 874 cases since Septe

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rapped the Haryana and Punjab governments over non-prosecution of violators found guilty of stubble burning and summoned the state chief secretaries to appear before it on October 23 and submit. an explanation. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to take penal action against Haryana and Punjab government officials for failure to take action against the violators. "This is not a political matter. If chief secretary is acting at somebody's behest, we will issue summons against them as well. Next Wednesday we are going to physically call chief secretary and explain everything. Nothing has been done, same is with Punjab government. The attitude is of complete defiance,"the bench said. Slamming the Punjab government, the top court said not even a single prosecution has been carried out in past three years. It said no endeavour has been made by the Punjab

The Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has empowered district magistrates to take legal action against officials failing to enforce restrictions on stubble burning in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and the NCR areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The CAQM, a statutory body tasked with preparing strategies to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, said 267 stubble-burning incidents were reported in Punjab and 187 in Haryana between September 15 and October 9. "Taking into account the current situation and to ensure effective implementation of the action plans at the field level, the CAQM has authorised deputy commissioners/district collectors/district magistrates in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and NCR areas of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to file a complaint/prosecution before jurisdictional judicial magistrate in case of inaction in respect of officials, including nodal officers and supervisory officers and station house officers, responsible for effective enforcement towards ensurin

Green Tribunal seeks information from the state on stubble management in 2023 and 2024

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The second of a two-part series looks at the policy lacunae that keep farmers from growing other crops which cut out the need to burn stubble

The Centre's air quality panel on Friday said curbs under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue in Delhi-NCR as the air pollution in the region is showing an upward trend. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index stood at 346 at 4 pm on Friday, deteriorating from 295 on Thursday. "The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been showing an increasing trend for the last two days in Delhi-NCR. Wind conditions have not been very favourable and accordingly dispersion of air pollutants has not been very effective," the CAQM said in a statement. Considering the need to continue with the steps to prevent deterioration of air quality, the sub-committee on Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has decided that the "ongoing action implemented under Stage III of GRAP shall continue and it should not be withdrawn at this stage". All construction and demolition work, except for essential projects, is banned in Delhi-NCR under the third stage of the GRAP. Brick kilns, hot mix plants

My logic, as an environmentalist and campaigner for clean air, is that this will be a perverse incentive, writes Sunita Narain

The Punjab government has been trying to encourage the setting up of biomass power plants which can put crop stubble to good use

The air quality in Noida significantly improved but remained in the 'poor' category