Stubble burning: SC asks Punjab, Haryana and UP to hold meeting with all stakeholders

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 24

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to hold meetings with all stakeholders to completely stop stubble burning that converts the entire Delhi-NCR into a virtual gas chamber during October-November.

A Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra asked the three states to file their respective report before it in four weeks.

The top court—which is seized of a PIL on air pollution in NCR—sought to know from Punjab Chief Secretary if the state can assure that no stubble burning will take place this year.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the Bench on behalf of the Environment Ministry that smog towers will be ready in Delhi in 10 months. She said a new technology to dissolve farm residue will be put to test this year.

As the court wasn’t satisfied with the affidavits of the Centre and the Delhi Government on smog towers, it asked them to file fresh ones.

During the hearing, advocate Charanpal Singh Bagri, representing farmers, complained that the issue was not being discussed with the farmers.

Despite a ban on stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, farmers continue to do so because of lack of financial incentives to switch over to environment-friendly farm waste management practices.

Last year, Punjab produced around 20 million tonnes paddy residue of which farmers burnt 9.8 million tonnes of it, while the figures in Haryana stood at 7 million tonnes and 1.23 million tonnes, respectively.

State governments were now providing 50 to 80 per cent subsidy to farmers and cooperative societies to buy modern farm equipment for in-situ management of paddy straw. They’re also running an awareness campaigns against stubble burning.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, stubble burning was an important factor behind air pollution in Delhi-NCR last year, contributing up to 44 per cent of the air pollution in November.

The Punjab Government had earlier told the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) that it has been utilising crop residue through biomass-based power plants and various bio-CNG projects are under process. It has proposed to set up a 25-megawatt solar-biomass project.

Both Punjab and Haryana have set up thousands of custom hiring centres (CHCs) to give farm machinery on rental basis to farmers who cannot afford to buy high-end equipment for crop residue management.

The court had on August 10 asked Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP to spell out steps taken to stop stubble burning that badly affected air quality in Delhi-NCR on the onset of winter.

It had asked the Chief Secretary about the steps taken to providing machines and equipment to small and marginal farmers so as to dissuade them from burning stubble.

The Punjab Chief Secretary had told the Bench that subsidy was being provided to small and marginal farmers but the state was facing financial constraints due to COVID-19 pandemic.

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