New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): Chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Dr Adarsh Pal Vig on Wednesday said that from September 15 till September 25 (today), 93 incidents of stubble burning have been reported in the state, adding that in the last two years, there has been a drastic reduction in stubble burning incidents.
“From September 15 till today, 93 incidents of burning have been reported in Punjab. Amritsar, Guradpur, and Tarn Taran have early harvesting. In the last two years, there has been a drastic reduction in incidents, with around 36,000 incidents reported last year as compared to over 70,000 incidents in the year before it. In the last two years, a 46 per cent-50 per cent reduction in cases has been reported. We have to bring this number to zero,” Vig said.
The Chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) said that with the collective effort of farmers, industry, the energy department, the agriculture department, and the public are working together towards it.
“Out of the 6 million tonne stubble, 4 million tonne stubble is being burnt in industrial boilers in different industries today. The Punjab government has earmarked Rs 25 crore in benefits to those who install paddy-based industrial boilers. 4 units for compressed biogas have been set up and 7-8 plants are planned. For storage of stubble, government and panchayat land is also given. Today, farm stubble pellets are being used as fuel in thermal power plants in Punjab and also brick kilns. 18 farm stubble pelletisation plants have been set up and 19 are in the pipeline,” Vig added.
Punjab Minister Balbir Singh said that the state government has enough equipment to fight against the stubble burning and urged the farmers to come and meet them if they have any issues.
“Stubble burning first affects the person burning it, his family members, and people of his village because all of these people are inhaling it directly… It can cause problems like coughing, chronic bronchitis, and eyes burning. It also affects pregnant women and children. Ecology is also affected, and birds and animals die. Invisible and friendly bacteria are killed…This is a collective responsibility. We have enough equipment, and a lot of NGOs are collaborating with us… I request the farmers to come and meet us if they have any issues,” Singh said. 
Earlier on September 23, Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, chaired a High-Level Task Force meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to assess the readiness of stakeholders in addressing the issue of deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, particularly as the winter season approaches.
The meeting focused on evaluating ongoing efforts to tackle pollution from various sources, including paddy stubble burning, vehicular emissions, road and construction dust, solid waste management, and diesel generator (DG) sets.
Dr. Mishra emphasised the critical importance of strict and timely implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) by all relevant agencies to mitigate worsening air quality during the winter months.
Rajesh Verma, Chairman of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), presented details on the upcoming paddy straw generation, estimating 19.52 million tonnes in Punjab and 8.10 million tonnes in Haryana.
“Both states have committed to eliminating stubble burning this year. Punjab plans to manage 11.5 million tonnes of its paddy straw through in-situ crop residue management and the rest via ex-situ methods. Haryana will similarly manage 3.3 million tonnes in-situ and use ex-situ methods for the remainder,” Verma said.
“Over 1.50 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines will be available in Punjab, supported by 24,736 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), while Haryana has 90,945 CRM machines supported by 6,794 CHCs,” he added.
He also emphasised the importance of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ programme and its sentimental value for every individual, which should be used in greening the city. (ANI)
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