Haryana has registered 52 first information reports (FIRs) and arrested 21 people for stubble-burning violations during the ongoing paddy harvesting season, as the state steps up enforcement and monitoring measures to curb farm fires.
The action was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) chairperson Rajesh Verma to assess the measures being implemented to improve air quality. Haryana chief secretary Anurag Rastogi also attended the meeting.
Haryana director (agriculture) Amit Khatri said the state had distributed 13,200 crop-residue management (CRM) machines, exceeding its target of 9,000. Environmental compensation of ₹10,000 has also been recovered in connection with stubble-burning violations, while red entries have been made in farm records in relevant cases, an official spokesperson said.
Environmental compensation is recovered from farmers who burn paddy stubble. A red entry in revenue records prevents a cultivator from selling crops at the minimum support price (MSP) for the next two crop cycles.
Satellite monitoring and drones to track farm fires
The state is using a mobile application developed by the National Remote Sensing Centre to verify burnt areas at the village level. The application uses satellite data to help authorities identify and monitor incidents of stubble burning.
Haryana State Pollution Control Board chairman Shekhar Vidyarthi said 20 drones had been deployed in the first phase of surveillance, with another 30 planned. The additional deployment is expected to improve monitoring of affected areas and help authorities identify farm fires more effectively.
Verma appreciated the Haryana government for the continuous decline in stubble-burning incidents. He also commended the Jhajjar district administration for developing a model brick kiln in the Badli area that uses paddy stubble as fuel.
Industries and power plants to utilise paddy residue
To promote the use of paddy residue as a resource, district-level agreements have been signed with industries to utilise more than 27 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy residue during the current season.
Biomass-based power projects had consumed more than 7 LMT of paddy straw by September 30, while compressed biogas plants had used over 1 LMT, officials informed the meeting.
Brick kilns in eight non-National Capital Region (NCR) districts are using paddy straw pellets as fuel. The Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Station has achieved 73% of its biomass co-firing target.
Punjab meeting reviews measures to prevent stubble burning
In a separate meeting with the Punjab government, the CAQM reviewed the implementation of the state's action plan to prevent and control paddy stubble burning, as directed by the commission on May 15, an official statement said.
The discussions covered enforcement measures on the ground, district-level preparedness and monitoring mechanisms for effective paddy-straw management.
The commission reviewed the availability, deployment and effective use of crop-residue management machinery at both district and farmer levels. It also assessed gaps in machinery utilisation and arrangements for the collection, transportation and use of paddy straw through in-situ and ex-situ management methods.
The commission stressed the need to strengthen the crop-residue supply chain and ensure that available machinery is used effectively during the peak harvesting period.
Other areas of discussion included field verification of burnt areas identified through satellite-based fire alerts, as well as the district-wise deployment of drones and low-cost sensors to monitor stubble-burning incidents.
The meeting also reviewed compliance with a CAQM directive requiring brick kilns to use biomass pellets and briquettes made from paddy straw. Progress towards biomass co-firing targets at thermal power plants was also discussed.