CAQM holds review meetings with Punjab & Haryana to prevent stubble burning

The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), led by chairman Rajesh Verma, held two review meetings on Thursday and Friday with concerned officers, District Magistrates (DMs), Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and SSPs from 23 districts of Punjab and 22 of Haryana,respectively to find ways to curb stable burning in the region.

As per an official statement, the review meeting focused on the preparedness of both the states for the paddy harvesting season 2025, in compliance with the Commission’s directions 90 and 92, that mandate effective in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management, eliminating stubble burning, especially in hotspot areas for monitoring, and actions being undertaken by the concerned states.

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According to the CAQM, flying squad teams will be deputed in these states for monitoring progress at field level in the hotspot districts.

The state governments have been requested to direct all concerned in the district administration to facilitate the flying teams, and provide them with updated status from time to time.

The CAQM Cell has been established at Kheti Bhawan, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Punjab, which will monitor the paddy stubble management and pollution activities to facilitate Inter-State coordination between the two states.

The Commission called for close coordination with the Cell to accelerate on-ground action with continuous monitoring and vigil.

During the meetings, detailed presentations were made by both the states on the implementation of their respective State Action Plans for 2025.

The chairperson, CAQM has directed action plans to address the issue of stubble burning and diversification of agricultural practices for Punjab that include identification and bridging of gaps in the management measures, including availability of CRM machinery, and utilization through strengthened supply chain applications to ensure that surplus paddy residue is fully managed.

The commission suggested developing a state-level strategy requiring coordination with adjoining districts for inter district movement of balers.

The Punjab government has been directed to ensure supply of balers and CRM on time and mobilize them, based on harvesting patterns. The state has been suggested to intensify vigilance through the ‘Parali Protection Force’, including extensive evening patrolling by officers to identify burning events and take strict enforcement measures for implementing a robust Crop Residue Management (CRM) regime for needy farmers.

The issues of pest-infected areas (Dwarfism pest and Yellow rust in paddy) and silted and water-logged areas were also highlighted in the meeting and the state was directed to have a plan for these issues to avoid burning activities.

Similarly, Haryana was also asked to take steps as per the situation and have a state-level strategy for the coordination of the stubble management across neighboring districts.

HSPCB has been asked to have separate meetings with District level administration for robust supply chain management and micro-level planning.

In addition to stubble burning, CAQM has asked the state that it shall sensitize the ULBs/ DCs about the critical issue of open burning of MSW/ Biomass in urban areas.

CAQM reiterated that zero stubble burning during the upcoming season is non-negotiable and directed all district administrations to enforce statutory measures both incentives and deterrence.

The commission will conduct frequent and intensive reviews to monitor progress and ensure strict implementation of the approved action plans.