TheUnion cabinet approvedthere-promulgationofordinanceonair quality managementinNational Capital Region(NCR) and adjoining areas spread over four states Haryana,Punjab,RajasthanandUttar Pradesh with important changes that seek to assuage farm unions opposed to the new Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture laws.
The re-promulgated legislation has been tweaked to take care of the concerns of farmers who had objected to its substantially high penalty provision for stubble burning in neighbouring states. The multi-member statutory commission will now also have representation from farmers, and construction sectors. Penalty provisions for erring industry or other sectors remain intact with jail term up to five years or with fine up to Rs 1 crore or with both for any non-compliance or contravention of any provision or rules and order or direction of the panel.
The commission had replaced The Supreme Court-backed Environment-pollution”>ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION (Prevention and Control) Authority EPCA which had been taking care of the issues of Air Pollution in the NCR for last 22 years. The EPCA had successfully implemented certain measures such as relocation of polluting industries, switching over of public transport buses from diesel to CNG and restriction of entry of polluting trucks in the Capital.