Watch: Delhi air pollution scare during winters returns as Punjab farmers begin stubble burning
Indian Express, "The LG brought out the fact that even after the issue being flagged and discussed in the last zonal council meeting at Jaipur in 2022, it remained unaddressed, especially on the part of Punjab." ALSO READ: Delhi witnesses 'first' GOOD air quality day of 2023, records cleanest air quality with AQI of 45 In the meeting, LG Saxena mentioned though Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh took efforts to address the menace, Delhi continues to suffer 'acute air pollution' as smoke emanates from Punjab, despite he wrote letter to state chief minister on 4 November, 2022. Meanwhile, Punjab Government on Tuesday submitted a State action plan and District-wise action plans for tackling the problem of stubble burning to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for the current paddy harvesting season.
According to the plan submitted by the government, it commits to an overall reduction of over 50 percent in paddy stubble burning incidents this year as compared to 2022 and target the elimination of farm fires in 6 districts of Punjab. As per estimation, about 20 Million Tonnes (MT) of paddy straw is to be generated in Punjab during 2023 including 3.3 MT of Basmati straw.
"Punjab currently has 1,17,672 crop residue management machines and procurement of around 23,000 machines is underway. CAQM has reiterated to the State Government of Punjab for efficient and optimal utilization of CRM machines through the 23,792 CHCs established for the purpose in the State," an official statement said.
"The plan attempts elimination of paddy stubble burning cases this year in 6 Districts namely Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar (Mohali) and SBS Nagar," an official statement added. Punjab currently has
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