Stubble burning: Supreme Court asks CAQM to hold meet with Punjab, Haryana, UP
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Adjoining Areas to hold a meeting with the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the proposed action plans to tackle stubble burning.
A Bench led by Justice AS Oka asked the CAQM to consult the states and submit its suggestions by March 17. “We will issue directions on the basis of the said note on March 28," it said.
Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh said the state government supported steps for eradicating stubble burning, but other factors that added to pollution within Delhi should also be taken into account. "We have data on air quality index of Delhi after November 15, which was the last day the fire incident was reported and thereafter the AQI in Delhi touched 400 and in January it is continuing.... we are committed to eradicating stubble burning but how much are we contributing as a state, if your lordships can just take a call on that," Singh submitted.
On November 18, 2024, the top court had directed the Centre and the CAQM to procure data on farm fires using geostationary satellites, as opposed to NASA's polar-orbiting satellites, to ensure real-time monitoring. The existing data from NASA satellites was limited to specific time windows and directed the involvement of ISRO in utilising stationary satellites for comprehensive day-long monitoring, it had noted.
The Punjab Government submitted that farmers needed to be convinced that crop diversification was a viable option. "There is a minimum support price (MSP) that has to be given and minimum assured procurement. In paddy, it is assured that 100 per cent produce will be picked up by the Food Corporation of India, which undertakes paddy cultivation. For maize and others, that procurement policy is not there," it submitted.
On the issue of minimum support amount to daily wagers when construction work was stopped, the Bench noted that UP, Delhi and Haryana governments were non-compliant. Earlier, it had said the Punjab and Haryana governments were slow in taking action against farmers burning stubble and a mechanism was required for a long-term solution to the problem. A machinery had to be set in motion to ensure 24/7 data was available, it had said.
The Centre had earlier opposed in the SC a proposal to form a committee of former apex court judges to oversee the implementation of measures to curb stubble burning, a key contributor to Delhi-NCR's air pollution.