New Delhi: Now, the farmers burning crop residues will have to cough up more as the Centre has doubled the penalties for stubble burning. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Wednesday notified the new rules.
What are the new rules
According to the notification, farmers with less than two acres of land holding will have to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, while those with two to five acres will have to dole out Rs 10,000, and those with more than five acres Rs 30,000 for burning paddy stubble. Earlier, the environmental compensation imposed on farmers with less than two acres of land holding was Rs 2,500, Rs 5,000 for those with two to five acres of land and Rs 15,000 for farmers with more than five acres for stubble burning.
The compensation has been increased to check the practice which is detrimental for the environment and is one of the key causes of growing air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
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The penalties were doubled after the Supreme Court rapped the government’s previous, smaller fines and called them “toothless” in light of the galloping environmental pollution. The court pointed out that the previous fines were ineffective due to delays in appointing adjudicating officers and in setting up the necessary regulatory framework.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) will implement the amended Environmental Compensation Rules for stubble burning, 2024. The amended rules will come into effect immediately, without a draft being placed in the public domain for public consultation.
Filing of complaints
The notification also spelt out the process of filing complaints with pollution control boards, the Commission for Air Quality Management, and offices of the Union environment ministry. It also explained the process of holding a probe on complaints against environmental pollution and that of acting on such complaints.
