The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has decided to honour and reward a girl from Jind district for reporting the case of stubble burning by her father to the authorities.
Sonali Sheokhand, from Dhakhal village of Narwana, will be given a cash award of Rs. 11,000 for her exemplary contribution to the cause of prevention of crop residue/ stubble burning in the state, an official release said today.
Her complaint recently had attracted her father a penalty of Rs. 2,500.
The Board officials hope that this recognition will serve as a motivating factor for other children, youth and farmers to play a role in the prevention of stubble burning.
"It should also encourage children to take a vow for a Green Diwali with a firm no to fire-crackers to reduce air pollution in the state and in the NCR areas," the release said.
The cash award and a certificate of appreciation will be given to Sonali at a function, it said.
According to the release the girl had advised her father against burning the paddy crop residue as it would damage the environment. However, when her father went ahead with the stubble burning she promptly reported it to the district pollution control committee constituted by the Environment Department for for prevention of crop residue burning.
The National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, had directed both the Pollution Control Board and the state government to constitute district level committees to monitor cases of stubble/crop residue burning and prevent them through awareness campaigns and enforcement measures.
Notably, ignoring warnings by state authorities on burning crop residue, many farmers in Haryana and Punjab are still continuing the banned practice, leading to health risks and adversely affecting soil health.
Both the Haryana and Punjab governments have imposed a ban on burning of paddy residue and the erring farmers can also be prosecuted by authorities.
In the last few years it has been noted that when stubble is burned in the two leading agrarian states, the pollutants enter Delhi, adversely affecting the air quality in the national capital.
