Blatant disregard of GRAP norms in Panipat, garbage burns in the open

Despite the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-IV by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), garbage is being blatantly burnt in the open.

The CAQM implemented GRAP-IV again in the NCR on Monday night after the AQI reached ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ levels. However, garbage is still being burnt in the open and construction work continues at several places in the city.

With the dipping temperatures, the AQI has also deteriorated again. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) site, the maximum AQI recorded on Wednesday was 500. The AQI fluctuated as it was 145 in the evening, but it would again reach ‘very poor’ levels at night as the fog would bring the pollution up, said an official in the board.

On Tuesday, the AQI was recorded ‘severe’ as the particulate matter (PM) 2.5 was recorded maximum at 500. On an average, it was recorded 345, which was ‘very poor’ while PM-10 was also recorded maximum at 427 on Tuesday, which was under the ‘severe’ category.

As per sources, Panipat is being considered in the list of the most polluted cities in the country as it is a hub of textile industries, which is under the ‘Red’ category.

However, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) officials had imposed a heavy penalty on the GRAP violators in November-end. The HSPCB imposed Rs 21 lakh on four construction sites and also issued a notice to the MC and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the Estate Officer, HSVP. Besides, the MC has also imposed a fine of Rs 1.20 lakh on owners of 24 sites for the open burning of garbage.

Though the HSPCB as well as MC has imposed penalties for the burning of garbage in open areas, the practice has not stopped.

The CAQM implemented the GRAP-IV again on Monday night, but no effect was seen in the textile city. Garbage is found burning on the banks of a canal and in the city at several places along roads.

Varun Gulati, a Delhi-based environmentalist, said that the burning of any kind of garbage was banned by the NGT as it was also a big cause of air pollution. “Panipat is already in the list of most polluted cities in the country. Such incidents should be stopped and action should be initiated against the violators,” Gulati said.

Bhupinder Singh Chahal, Regional Officer, HSPCB, said that information about the implementation of GRAP-IV was given to all departments, including the MC, HSVP and other departments.