Centre Doubles Fines On Stubble Burning Amid Delhi's Air Quality Crisis

The Centre has doubled the stubble burning fine in Delhi and adjoining areas in view of the fast-plummeting air quality in the region, with penalty going up to Rs 30,000 in some cases.

The new rules mandate that farmers having land of less than two acres shall pay an environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, while the fine will be Rs 10,000 for farmers having land of two acres or more but less than five acres. Farmers having land of more than five acres shall pay an environmental compensation of Rs 30,000.

The move came after the Supreme Court pulled up the Centre over inaction regarding the deteriorating air quality in the National Capital and adjoining areas. It also called the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986 "toothless". The air quality in Delhi-NCR remained alarmingly poor on Thursday, approaching 'severe' levels in multiple areas, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city recorded at 362, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Several areas in Delhi exceeded the 400 AQI mark, which falls under the 'severe' category.

AQI levels in Haryana's Faridabad and Gurugram and Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, and Noida areas ranged between 252 and 313, also reflecting poor air quality levels.

Every year, the air quality in Delhi-NCR plummets to hazardous levels owing to factors like unfavourable meteorological conditions, vehicular emissions, firecrackers and stubble burning. According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) analysis, the city experiences peak pollution from November 1 to 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.

Many factors like lack of a viable market for crop residue, the paddy variety and harvesting systems used, and labour scarcity force farmers to burn crop residue. Studies estimate that during peak burning periods, farm fires contribute up to 30 percent of PM levels in the Delhi-NCR region and surrounding areas.

Last month, the Supreme Court grilled the central - and Punjab and Haryana - governments while hearing arguments over states' non-compliance with, and failure to enforce, anti-pollution measures. A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka, Justice A Amanullah, and Justice AG Masih, dismissed as "mere eyewash" the Punjab and Haryana governments' efforts to stamp out farm fires - i.e., farmers burning agricultural waste - that contribute to toxic air smothering Delhi annually.