Following its visit to Moga district of Punjab, a high-level team of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), led by Dr. T.S. Panwar, Member (Technical), CAQM, travelled to Firozpur and Faridkot districts today to assess how measures to prevent paddy stubble burning are being implemented on the ground during the ongoing harvesting season.
At the DC Office in Firozpur, the team held a joint review meeting with the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and concerned district officers of Firozpur and Faridkot. In the meeting, the team examined the preparedness of the district administrations and the coordination among concerned departments for effective in-situ and ex-situ management and utilisation of paddy stubble. It also reviewed the availability and deployment of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery, field-level surveillance, monitoring of hotspot areas and enforcement measures.
The team underlined the need to strengthen in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy straw, ensure that CRM machinery is available on time and used optimally, and improve coordination among farmers, aggregators, industries and other stakeholders. The deployment of drones and low-cost sensors for technology-based monitoring and trend analysis was also reviewed, along with efforts to sensitise farmers about the ill-effects of stubble burning and PM2.5.
The Commission stressed the need to make it easier for farmers to access CRM machines and other in-situ management machinery, and to coordinate better with aggregators for effective ex-situ management of paddy straw. The district administrations were advised to ensure that machinery is available on time and that all stakeholders work in close coordination to prevent stubble-burning incidents.
After the review meeting, the CAQM team visited selected hotspot villages in Firozpur and Faridkot to assess the situation on the ground and review the implementation of measures to prevent stubble burning. The visit forms part of CAQM’s continued monitoring and review of paddy management measures in Punjab’s hotspot districts, aimed at strengthening in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy straw and preventing stubble-burning incidents in the region.