In Punjab, the paddy harvesting season will start shortly and the authorities are gearing up to stop stubble burning. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has recently reviewed the preparedness of the state government. The Commission asked for a detailed mapping of the available Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines and their optimal utilization and availability, particularly for small/ marginal farmers. The Deputy Commissioners of various districts assured that mechanisms are in place towards management of straw in their respective districts and the state government plans application of Bio Decomposer in 8,000 acres of paddy area.

The scheme envisages reducing the incidents of paddy stubble burning by at least 50 percent in the current season as compared to last year. According to the plan, efforts will be made to eliminate cases of stubble burning in Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Roopnagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts. The total area under paddy in the state is around 31 lakh hectares and about 20 million tonnes of stubble is expected. Efforts will be made to utilize the stubble in various industrial and energy production projects as well as in large quantities for animal feed.  Shishu Sharma Shantal, Akashvani News, Jalandhar.