Haryana govt cracks down on stubble burning offenders, imposes fines of over Rs 25 lakh

Chandigarh: Amplifying its crackdown against stubble burning offenders, the Haryana government has issued 939 challans and imposed fines of over Rs 25.12 lakh, officials said on Friday.

The state government remains dedicated to completely eliminating the crop residue burning incidents, even as it has achieved 38 per cent reduction in stubble burning incidents during the current harvesting season over the previous year, they said.

The officials said the state government is taking stringent action against those responsible for the farm fires, having imposed 939 challans with fines totalling over Rs 25.12 lakh by October 31.

Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal said the state government is vigilant about the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the state and has implemented stringent measures to further reduce paddy straw burning.

Some places in Haryana have reported air quality indices in the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories during the past few days.

Kaushal, during a virtual meeting, said a significant 38 per cent reduction in stubble burning incidents have been reported in 2023 compared to the previous year. The virtual virtual review meeting chaired by M M Kutty, the chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR, according to an official statement.

Haryana last year recorded a total of 2,083 cases of stubble burning, which decreased to 1,296 cases in 2023, the chief secretary said, adding that straw burning incidents witnessed a substantial 57 per cent reduction this year compared to 2021.

At the review meeting, in which deputy commissioners of Haryana virtually took part, Kutty commended the deputy commissioners of Karnal and Kaithal for achieving over a 60 per cent reduction in farm fires compared to the previous year, the statement added.

He acknowledged Haryana's success in controlling farm fires but stressed the importance of close monitoring and stringent measures during the upcoming festival season to improve the air quality index.

The state government recently introduced the 'Haryana Ex-situ Management of Paddy Straw – 2023' scheme, which aims to ensure adequate supply of paddy straw to biomass-based projects.

The chief secretary said the government is strictly monitoring and taking enforcement measures to check farm fires, including real-time reporting of burning events by Haryana Space Applications Centre and the deployment of district/block-level enforcement teams and flying squads.

Kaushal said village and block-level nodal officers have also been appointed to prevent crop residue burning.

Moreover, the government is taking stringent action against those responsible for farm fires, he added, referring to the challans being imposed with fines.

Haryana's comprehensive strategy includes both in-situ (mixing crop residue in fields) and ex-situ management (using stubble as fuel) with a focus on categorising villages into red, yellow and green zones based on active fire incidents.

The state government is committed to providing Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines to the farmers on a subsidy. An area of 940 lakh acres has been registered for incentives of Rs 1,000 per acre, amounting to Rs 90.40 crore, the statement said.

"This holistic approach also promotes alternative cropping practices, offering incentives for diversification and the adoption of direct sowing of rice," Kaushal said.

"The panchayats achieving zero burning in red and yellow zones will receive incentives. Transportation charges for bales are designed to encourage responsible crop residue management," he added.

Kaushal said the state government, with the aim of reducing stubble burning and promoting environmentally conscious agriculture, is exploring the industrial utilisation of paddy straw by identifying clusters of villages that produce biomass near various industries.

Industrial utilisation of 13.54 metric tonne of paddy straw is projected for the current year, he added.

Haryana Pollution Control Board chairman Raghavendra Rao directed the deputy commissioners in the meeting to monitor mining and excavation activities and ensure no waste is burned in the open.

He emphasised the importance of sweeping roads and implementation of government-enforced measures.