Chandigarh, Oct 22 — The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas on Thursday said that the statutory body's objective is to ensure effective utilisation of stubble in order to turn it into an "economic asset" for farmers.
CAQM Member Secretary Tarun Kumar Pithode's statement came after attending CAQM’s review meeting with the governments of Haryana and Punjab,
Talking to IANS, Pithode said directions issued by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini were also reviewed during the meeting.
"This included the industrial sector, where compliance with the prescribed norm of 50 micrograms was made compulsory from November 1. Along with it, directions issued for the vehicular sector were also reviewed, including the transition plan for trucks and schemes related to replacing buses," he said.
He added that work related to road development and cleaning was also reviewed, including mechanised sweeping.
"The review looked at what efforts have been made so far, how many machines were required, how many have been procured, and whether they are being effectively deployed and used. Further directions have also been issued to the state," Pithode added.
Regarding Punjab, the CAQM Member Secretary said today’s review primarily focused on stubble management, which was reviewed district-wise with all the DCs.
"If we look at stubble-burning incidents overall and compare them with previous years, the situation has improved. However, this year we are seeing that fire counts have increased considerably in Tarn Taran and Amritsar, which is a matter of serious concern. Stubble needs to be managed in such a way that there is no need for these fire counts to rise at all," he stated.
According to Pithode, if balers and CRM machines are made available in sufficient numbers, there would be no need to burn stubble, and it could be managed effectively.
"There are two types of data available. One is related to burnt-area assessment, which continuously indicates that considerable areas are being burned, while another relates to recorded fire counts. Sometimes fires occur at a time when they may not be detected, so the truth lies somewhere between these datasets," he stated.
However, he asserted that the objective of the CAQM is to build an ecosystem in which the entire quantity of stubble can be put into industry use. "Once that happens, there will be no need to burn crop residue," he said.
"Therefore, today’s entire emphasis was on how stubble can be effectively managed: ensuring adequate storage facilities and establishing industries that can utilise it, generate employment and expand industrial activity. This could include pellet-manufacturing plants, its use in thermal power plants, or its use for producing CBG," Tarun Pithode mentioned.
He noted that if stubble is used in all these ways, it can become an "economic asset" for farmers.
"Several schemes are already being implemented, including schemes for balers and other machinery, under which substantial subsidies and assistance are provided, specifically to these two states (Punjab and Haryana)," he said while stressing the effective implementation of these measures.