NEW DELHI: After a rebuke from the Supreme Court and in an effort to combat worsening air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the Union Government has doubled penalties for stubble burning and notified new rules under the existing act to streamline the process of filing complaints, conducting inquiries, and laying down the adjudication process for environmental pollution.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, on November 6, issued a notification titled The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (Imposition, Collection and Utilization of Environmental Compensation for Stubble Burning) Amendment Rules, 2024.
As per the new rules, farmers owning less than two acres of land will now be required to pay an environmental compensation of ₹5,000. Those holding between two and five acres will face a penalty of ₹10,000, while farmers with landholdings exceeding five acres will be liable to pay ₹30,000 for burning paddy stubble.
Previously, farmers with less than two acres of land were subject to a penalty of ₹2,500, those with two to five acres were fined ₹5,000, and landholders with over five acres faced a fine of ₹15,000 for stubble burning.
Additionally, the Environment Protection (Manner of Holding Inquiry and Imposition of Penalty) Rules, 2024, has been notified, outlining the procedure for filing complaints with pollution control boards, the Commission for Air Quality Management, and the Union Ministry of Environment offices. These rules also detail the process of conducting inquiries into complaints of environmental pollution and adjudicating such matters.
The amended rules, issued under the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, will come into immediate effect.
On October 23, the Supreme Court had termed the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986 and the small fines for stubble burning as “toothless” and criticised authorities for their inaction. The court observed that after the Jan Vishwas Act replaced prosecution with penalties, the relevant rules had not been notified to implement the provisions.
Meanwhile, officials in Punjab and Haryana are under scrutiny for failing to control stubble burning incidents. The Punjab government has issued notices to at least 30 officials, asking them to explain their inability to curb these cases. In Ferozepur district, five government employees have been suspended, while show-cause notices have been issued to eight employees in Faridkot and three in Bathinda districts. Several PCS officers have also received show-cause notices.
In Haryana, the agriculture and farmers' welfare department suspended 24 officials in September amid a surge in stubble burning incidents across the state.
