No stubble burning incidents in Delhi this winter: CM Gupta

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

Not a single incident of stubble burning was reported in Delhi during winter this year, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday and credited the government's pollution control policy for the achievement.

She said that this success has been made possible through coordinated efforts of the Agriculture Unit of the Development Department and the Environment Department, sustained monitoring, and the active cooperation of farmers.

The absence of even a single incident of stubble burning in Delhi during the winter season this year marks a significant and tangible achievement of the Delhi government's pollution control policy, Gupta said.

Despite paddy cultivation across approximately 7,000 acres of land in Delhi this year, zero incidents of stubble burning were recorded, the CM said, describing it as a decisive step towards clean air through strict monitoring and farmers' cooperation.

She noted that deterioration in air quality during winter is regarded as a serious challenge for Delhi, with stubble burning being a major contributing factor.

Keeping this in view, the Delhi government strictly implemented the 'Winter Action Plan' in accordance with the guidelines of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), adopting a zero-tolerance policy to prevent the burning of stubble and crop residue.

Gupta said round-the-clock operations were undertaken, with daily reviews conducted regularly by Development Commissioner Shurbir Singh to ensure strict vigilance over any activity related to stubble or crop residue burning and to enable immediate action in case of any violation.

She said that the Development Department carried out extensive field-level monitoring and awareness campaigns to prevent stubble burning. A total of 11 teams comprising Agriculture Extension Officers and Extension Assistants were deployed to conduct 24X7 patrols across the five paddy-producing districts — North, North-West, South, South-West and West — monitoring fields and sensitising farmers about the harmful effects of stubble burning.

To promote effective stubble management, spraying of the Pusa Bio-Decomposer was carried out in fields after paddy harvesting. Developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (Pusa), this bio-decomposer helps decompose stubble within the field itself, thereby improving soil fertility and quality, and the facility was provided entirely free of cost to farmers.

The chief minister said that, to further strengthen crop residue management in the future, the Development Department is in the process of establishing two Custom Hiring Centres in the North and South-West districts to provide farmers with essential machinery and equipment for stubble management.

She also said that a dedicated control room was set up at the headquarters of the Agriculture Unit to analyse satellite-based inputs received from Pusa's CREAMS portal and to promptly direct field staff to take action based on geo-location data.

According to the chief minister, 97 demonstrations of the Pusa Bio-Decomposer were conducted across all five paddy-producing districts of Delhi and 25 farmer training programmes on paddy stubble management were organised to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices.