Air Pollution
Work In Tandem With Civil Administration To Prevent Stubble Burning: Punjab DGP
The Supreme Court had directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure crop residue burning was stopped forthwith
Chandigarh: A day after the Supreme Court issued directions to ensure stopping of crop residue burning “forthwith”, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday (November 8) asked the police officers to work in tandem with the civil administration to prevent stubble burning in the state. The DGP also appointed Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla as the police nodal officer to monitor action against stubble burning. The order reads,
The police nodal officer shall issue suitable directions, hold meetings, conduct tours and collect and collate relevant information and put up to the DGP Punjab and the Chief Secretary so that monitoring of the actions being undertaken by the police to ensure compliance of the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court is done in an effective manner.
Amid a spike in pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court had on Tuesday directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure crop residue burning was stopped “forthwith”, saying it cannot let “people die” due to pollution.
The top court bench also made the local station house officer (SHO) concerned, under the overall supervision of the chief secretary, responsible for stopping crop residue burning.
Also Read: Air Quality In Delhi Severe Again; Farm Fires Major Contributor
The DGP ordered all the commissioners of police (CPs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) to devise a foolproof action plan against stubble burning, organised crime and drug trafficking, and stubble burning in Punjab.
He stressed the need for working in tandem with the civil administration to prevent stubble burning in the state.
The DGP ordered all the CPs and SSPs to hold daily meetings with the district magistrates besides ensuring that the SHOs should personally patrol the areas in their jurisdictions and take steps to stop stubble burning immediately.
He also directed all the CPs and SSPs to divide the districts into sectors and depute a gazetted officer as the in-charge of the sector.
The DGP was holding a state-level law and order review meeting via video conference to review the action against organised crime, drug trafficking and stubble burning in the state.
The meeting was attended by all the senior police officers, additional DGPs, SSPs and the SHOs.
An official spokesperson of the Punjab Police said that depending on the area and size of the police station, a sufficient number of additional patrolling parties are being activated with immediate effect.
He said the civil administration and local district police have been working together to prevent stubble burning in the state.
Liaison and coordination is maintained with the fire department for the deployment of fire tenders, he added.
The spokesperson also said the district police has been directed to engage the farmers, citizens and various stakeholders to sensitise them about the ill-effects of stubble burning, which is also a violation of law and action, and action could be initiated against them.
Also Read: “Stop Stubble Burning,” Directs Supreme Court To Several States As The Air Quality Becomes Poisonous
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.