Karnal, Patiala chosen as model districts to stop crop burning

Karnal in Haryana and Patiala in Punjab have been chosen as model districts for implementing orders to stop stubble burning, the National Green Tribunal has been informed.

The state governments told the green panel that both these districts have been selected due to high rural population and agricultural activity in these areas.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the Haryana and Punjab governments to submit complete action plans with regard to these two districts.

"Let the secretary concerned of the state file a complete action plan in relation to these two districts at the first instance. It will include whether any baseline data as of today has been collected or not.
 

"Let that be collected as a first action. They should also put on record the measures they propose to take in furtherance to the judgement of the tribunal and submit the same positively before the tribunal within two weeks," the bench, also comprising Justice Jawad Rahim, said.

The matter is now listed for next hearing on January 23.

The NGT had earlier asked states adjoining Delhi to ensure that there is no crop burning in their areas and ordered Haryana and Punjab to notify one district which has major land use as agriculture and take it as a model district for implementation of its direction on burning of agriculture residue.

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 those farmers.

The green panel had said that the five north Indian states -- Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi -- which have issued notifications prohibiting agriculture crop residue burning shall ensure that these notifications are enforced rigorously and proper action is taken against the defaulters.

The tribunal had said small land owners having less than two acres of land will have to pay Rs 2500, medium land owners holding over two acres and less than five acres will have to pay Rs 5,000 and those owning over five acres will have to pay Rs 15,000 per incident of crop burning towards environment compensation.