Watch: Delhi air pollution scare during winters returns as Punjab farmers begin stubble burning
- Earlier on 26 September LG Saxena raised the issue at the 31st North Zonal Council meeting in Amritsar and requested the states to work in tandem to address the issue.
Two days after LG VK Saxena raised the issue of air pollution in Delhi due to stubble burning in neighbouring states, videos have surfaced where farmers are burning stubble in a field in Daduana village of Amritsar on 28 September.
This latest video ignited the issues related to the Delhi air pollution scare during winter, as stubble continues to burn and create smog in the national capital.
Here's the video:
Earlier on 26 September LG Saxena raised the issue at the 31st North Zonal Council meeting in Amritsar and requested the states to work in tandem to address the issue.
The meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and in the meeting, the issue pollution including crop stubble burning during winters was widely discussed.
According to an official, as quoted by Indian Express, "The LG brought out the fact that even after the issue being flagged and discussed in the last zonal council meeting at Jaipur in 2022, it remained unaddressed, especially on the part of Punjab."
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In the meeting, LG Saxena mentioned though Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh took efforts to address the menace, Delhi continues to suffer 'acute air pollution' as smoke emanates from Punjab, despite he wrote letter to state chief minister on 4 November, 2022.
Meanwhile, Punjab Government on Tuesday submitted a State action plan and District-wise action plans for tackling the problem of stubble burning to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for the current paddy harvesting season.
According to the plan submitted by the government, it commits to an overall reduction of over 50 percent in paddy stubble burning incidents this year as compared to 2022 and target the elimination of farm fires in 6 districts of Punjab.
As per estimation, about 20 Million Tonnes (MT) of paddy straw is to be generated in Punjab during 2023 including 3.3 MT of Basmati straw.
"Punjab currently has 1,17,672 crop residue management machines and procurement of around 23,000 machines is underway. CAQM has reiterated to the State Government of Punjab for efficient and optimal utilization of CRM machines through the 23,792 CHCs established for the purpose in the State," an official statement said.
"The plan attempts elimination of paddy stubble burning cases this year in 6 Districts namely Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar (Mohali) and SBS Nagar," an official statement added.
Punjab currently has 1,17,672 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines and around 23,792 Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) have been established in state.
As per the 2022 data, the five districts of Punjab where the maximum crop-burning incidents were reported were Sangrur, Bathinda, Firozpur, Muktasar and Moga, which recorded about 44 per cent of total fire counts of the State.
With agency inputs.
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Business NewsNewsIndiaWatch: Delhi air pollution scare during winters returns as Punjab farmers begin stubble burning
First Published:28 Sep 2023, 07:07 PM IST
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