With the Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorating in northern India, Uttar Pradesh’s Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthy directed police officers in the state to take steps to curb the burning of stubble in rural areas. He also asked officials to impose fine on farmers and those violating the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.
Aswathy ordered all district police chiefs, deputy inspectors general (DIGs), inspectors general (IGs) and additional directors general (ADG) to also monitor and fine people burning garbage dumps in urban regions.
"The circular read that all officers should ensure effective enforcement of the Supreme Court guidelines to curb air pollution and improve air quality," Hindustan Times quoted a senior police official as saying.
Apart from the police officials, the DGP's circular asked to engage people from other departments to sensitise people and spread awareness on proper waste management. The departments include local administration, municipal corporations and village panchayats.
Stubble burning: SC to examine plea suggesting to withhold MSP for farmers who burn crop.
Asking the officers to impose fines, the DGP had ordered police officers to ensure the use of combined harvesting machines along with straw reaper so that no stubble is left behind.
According to the data released by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI reached from ‘poor to ‘very poor’ air quality since March 2020 in Uttar Pradesh.
The AQI recorded in Lucknow at 9 pm on October 11 was 395, while in Noida it was 205. In Ghaziabad, it was 174 and in Kanpur, it was 158. In the national capital, the AQI was recorded as 158. This is for the first time that the AQI is hovering between 200 and 400 to pre-COVID-19 levels.
The AQI is divided into six categories. When it crosses 150 but is below 200, the air quality is considered 'unhealthy'. However, when the AQI ranges between 200-300 and above 300, it is considered as 'very unhealthy' and 'hazardous'. Below 100, the AQI is considered manageable, but when it is between 101-150, sensitive groups may experience health issues.
Earlier on October 7, the Supreme Court asked chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab be present before the Court on the next date of hearing, i.e. October 16. The court has agreed to examine a suggestion of withholding a portion of Minimum Support Price (MSP) from farmers indulging in stubble burning.
Delhi's air quality turns 'poor', first time since June 29.
The apex court received a suggestion on October 6 in a fresh application moved by Vikrant Tongad - a Noida-based farmer. Tongad urged the court for an alternative incentive mechanism to be formulated for tweaking the amount of Rs 100 per quintal and its payment be deferred from within the MSP until it is verified that no stubble has been burnt.
In November 2019, the Supreme Court had pulled state governments of Punjab and Haryana for their inability to prevent pollution caused by stubble burning despite previous orders.
Back in 2019, stubble burning accounted for over 44 percent of air pollution in Delhi. Government data says farmers in Punjab burnt 9.8 million tonnes of crop residue out of 20 million tonnes of paddy crop they produced. Haryana farmers burnt 1.2 million tonnes of the residue out of the 7 million tonnes of paddy crop produced.
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