In a bid to curb incidents of crop residue burning, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), conducted field visits in Punjab to assess the ground situation.
The commission took stock of the crop residue management, and enforcement activities aimed towards reduction in stubble burning incidents.
According to the CAQM, between September 15 and November 6 this year, Punjab recorded 3,284 stubble burning incidents compared to 5,041 during the same period last year, which the commission said shows a marginal improvement compared to last year.
The Commission during its visit inspected the thermal power plant at Rajpura in Patiala district, Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plant at Lehragaga in Sangrur district, on ground management of straw through machinery and also the Thermal power plant in Bathinda district.
While inspecting the Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Power Plant in Bathinda, the CAQM chairperson Rajesh Verma expressed serious concern over its poor operational condition and non-compliance with prescribed emission norms and air quality standards.
Verma, cautioned that if immediate measures are not undertaken, the CAQM may be compelled to issue closure directions to the plant.
Following the visit, the Commission held a high-level review meeting with the state government of Punjab on Friday at Chandigarh to take stock of actions taken on ground by the concerned Departments to curb incidents of stubble burning in the region.
The commission observed that some districts like Muktsar and Fazilka have even shown an increase in the number of fire counts, which is a cause of concern that requires immediate intervention by the state, as per the commission.
The chairperson directed Punjab to immediately scale-up efforts to comply with Commission’s directions and ensure timely availability of Crop Residue Management.
Further, taking stock of actions taken by Haryana to curb air pollution in the State, the Commission also held a detailed review meeting with the state government on Friday, where it was highlighted that between September 15 and November 6, Haryana reported 206 farm fire incidents compared to 888 incidents during the same period in 2024.
The Commission underscored that with concerted efforts the incidences of farm fires can be eliminated completely.