CAQM reviews stubble-burning prevention in Amritsar and Tarn Taran as paddy harvesting intensifies

The Commission for Air Quality Management reviewed paddy-stubble management in Amritsar and Tarn Taran on 10 October, following field visits on 9 and 10 October to hotspot villages and facilities during the harvesting season.

The review covered Crop Residue Management machinery, balers, in-situ and ex-situ utilisation, farmer support, control rooms, help desks, field surveillance and supply chains linking straw aggregators with industries using paddy-straw bales. CAQM said flying squads are deployed in 18 Punjab districts from 1 October to 30 November.

Stubble-burning policy increasingly combines enforcement with an alternative-use chain. A farmer can avoid burning only if machinery is available at the right time or residue can be collected, transported and economically used. This makes local logistics, industry demand and aggregation capacity as important as penalties and satellite monitoring.

For civil-services preparation, the development links agricultural residue management to regional air-quality governance. Field reviews and machinery targets are implementation inputs; success should ultimately be assessed through fire incidents, residue utilisation and air-quality outcomes, while accounting for weather and other emission sources.