NGT to hear air pollution matter today

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) will on Wednesday hear the air pollution matter.

The NGT which has fixed fines for farmers for burning agriculture waste, earlier on March 16 asked the Delhi Government and the four neighbouring states to inform it about the action plan to prevent pollution from crop burning after the harvesting season.

The NGT had earlier fixed the environment compensation amounts per incident of crop burning to be paid by small land owners having less than two acres of land at Rs. 2,500, medium land owners holding over two acres and less than five acres at Rs. 5,000 and those owning over five acres at Rs. 15,000.

It had also directed the state governments to take coercive and punitive action against persistent defaulters of crop residue burning and asked them to withdraw the assistance provided to such farmers.

The green panel had said the five states - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi - which have issued notifications prohibiting agriculture crop residue burning should ensure that these notifications are enforced rigorously and proper action is taken against the defaulters.

The NGT's order came on a plea filed by environmentalist Vikrant Tongad who had sought a ban on burning of agricultural waste and remnants in open fields.