NGT directs northern states to formulate policy to stop stubble burning

Punjab Geography and Environment

The National Green Tribunal has directed Delhi and four northern states to formulate a comprehensive policy for providing incentives and infrastructural assistance to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue to prevent air pollution. The green panel directed the chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh governments to file a detailed affidavit enumerating their action plan and compliance of its orders on the mechanism for collection and storage of crop residue.
The NGT said the state governments were under obligation to identify the sites in each district for removal, collection and storage of crop residue for further utilisation, but there had been no “concrete” development in the matter.
The Punjab and Haryana governments had told the tribunal that there were few plants for palletisation of crop residue, and these could promote this mechanism through private participation if the National Thermal Power Corporation gave a commitment with viable rates and long-term buy-back arrangements.
The Punjab government had earlier faced the wrath of the tribunal for not taking effective steps to provide financial assistance and infrastructure facility to the farmers to encourage them not to burn agricultural residue in their fields.