Kumar Siddhartha, Pune
Ahead of winter, concerns over air pollution over Delhi due to Stubble burning have heightened. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) informed the Supreme Court that paddy stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana had increased from September 15 to September 25.
While last year stubble burning incidents in Punjab were 11 times higher compared to the same period now, Haryana witnessed a fivefold rise in such incidents. While the Punjab record stood at 93, the 2023 record was only at 8. In Haryana, the record had reached 70 cases in comparison to 13 in 2023.
The data led to an emergency review meeting by the Commission on Thursday to reassess the situation. In the meeting, it was pointed out that three particular districts were highly responsible for the increase in fire incidents. In the case of Punjab, such high counts are seen in districts Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Tarn Taran. In fact, 58 out of the 93 cases come from Amritsar itself. In Haryana, Karnal, Kurukshetra, and Yamuna Nagar were the affected localities; Karnal reported 31 out of 70 cases in the state.
Responding to this, Supreme Court bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih expressed concerns over Commission’s attempts, stating that measures have been taken, yet, more assertive steps to be taken by CAQM to ensure its directives effectively reduce the levels of pollution. The court cautioned the Commission that at least its measures must result in bringing tangible results to control air pollution.
At the review meeting, the state governments and Deputy Commissioners of the worst-affected districts were put on high alert by warning of rising cases. The Commission also made it clear that nodal and supervisory officers in charge of villages and blocks would not be spared as they will be responsible for the management of the process of stubble burning. The Commission also directed Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana to submit detailed action reports by Saturday, with special emphasis on the high-incidence districts of Amritsar and Karnal.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has been one of the major contributory factors for Delhi’s poor air quality during the winter. The Commission sought a special report from the Centre on the alarming rise of cases in Amritsar and Karnal within three days.