By News18
Chandigarh, Jul 3 (PTI) Chairperson of Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Rajesh Verma on Thursday chaired a meeting regarding implementation of various environmental directives for abatement of air pollution in Haryana.
During the meeting, Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi unveiled a comprehensive and multi-pronged strategy to combat air pollution across the state, particularly in the NCR region.
Among others, the meeting was also attended by senior members of CAQM, Virinder Sharma and Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Forests and Wildlife, Haryana, Anand Mohan Sharan and Chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Vineet Garg.
After participating in the meeting, CS Rastogi said Haryana is fully prepared to eliminate paddy stubble burning in 2025.
He said the Commission was informed that the state has taken proactive steps involving both financial incentives and regulatory actions to address the issue in a holistic manner.
Out of the total 41.37 lakh acres under paddy cultivation, the state anticipates a straw generation of approximately 85.50 lakh metric tonnes.
Of this, 22.63 lakh acres are under basmati and 18.74 lakh acres under non-basmati cultivation. To support farmers, Haryana is offering financial assistance through three flagship schemes 鈥 Rs 8,000 per acre under 鈥淢era Pani Meri Virasat,鈥 Rs 1,200 per acre under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme, and Rs 4,500 per acre for Direct Seeded Rice (DSR).
Applications for these schemes are being received through the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, ensuring transparency and easy access for farmers. On the enforcement front, the state has also implemented strict measures.
Rastogi informed the CAQM about Haryana鈥檚 aggressive push to mandate the use of paddy straw-based biomass pellets in brick kilns located in non-NCR districts.
A clear implementation timeline has been laid out 鈥 requiring 20 per cent biomass usage by November 2025, gradually scaling up to 50 percent by November 2028.
This environmentally sustainable initiative has already received approval from the Haryana CM, Rastogi said.
The CS stated that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for implementation will be issued within 15 days to ensure uniform adoption across all concerned kilns.
To address dust pollution from roads and open areas in the Haryana-NCR region, Rastogi outlined a robust strategy.
Each road-owning agency has been asked to develop at least one model road stretch aligned with the standard framework prescribed by CAQM.
Rastogi also emphasised the government鈥檚 commitment to urban road redevelopment in Gurugram, Faridabad, and Sonipat鈥櫬攖hree key cities identified for dust abatement.
Departments including PWD (B&R), HSVP, HSIIDC, NHAI, FMDA, and SMDA have been instructed to prepare comprehensive proposals covering the redevelopment of sidewalks, greening of medians and traffic islands, paving of road shoulders, and proper disposal and management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste.
These efforts aim not only to reduce dust levels but also to improve urban aesthetics and infrastructure quality.
In regard to vehicular pollution, the chief secretary outlined the progress made under various CAQM directions, including the phasing out of end-of-life vehicles, the promotion of cleaner mobility by delivery aggregators and e-commerce platforms, and the migration of inter-city and all India tourist permit buses to cleaner fuels.
He reiterated Haryana鈥檚 full commitment to shifting public transport fleets, including autorickshaws, to electric or cleaner fuel-based vehicles in a phased manner. PTI SUN NB NB