Centre Clears Rs 779 Crore To Curb Air Pollution In Delhi After Punjab CM Refuses To Resolve Stubble Burning

The Centre has cleared a proposal to bring in advanced machinery to check stubble burning in the states surrounding New Delhi on Tuesday (23 January) after Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh shrugged off his government’s responsibility to do so in Punjab last year.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has been identified as the major contributor to the air pollution the capital faces in winter months, peaking between October and November. Appeals to the farmers to adopt techniques to treat the stubble have been hindered by the high cost of machinery required for the treatment.

However, now the Centre has cleared a proposal to subsidise the purchase of improvised farm machines that will help remove the stubble and convert it into manure to be used for the next rabi crop, reported the Daily Pioneer.

The total cost of the equipment required for Punjab and Haryana has been estimated to be Rs. 595 crore and Rs 183.62 crore respectively.

The proposal was made by a High Level Task Force constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in response to a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court regarding air pollution caused by stubble burning.

Even as there were fewer stubble burning incidents in 2017 as compared to earlier years, the air quality in New Delhi hadn’t shown any reasonable improvement leading to public outrage. The Supreme Court’s ban sale of firecrackers during Diwali had failed to yield any results as air quality remained poor throughout October and November.

On being compelled to check stubble burning in his state last year (2017), Punjab CM Amarinder Singh had instead shifted the responsibility to the Centre, citing lack of funds. He had also accused Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal of politicising the issue.

Now that the Centre has come through with the solution, the funds for buying the machines will be allocated by April this year. The committee hopes that the machinery will be stationed in the fields before September.

Also Read: The Captain Who Fiddled While Stubble Burnt