Chandigarh, 25 September:- Haryana has recorded a 91 per cent reduction in incidents of paddy stubble burning in 2025 as compared to 2021. Of the 81 large and medium mechanical road sweeping machines required in the state as per prescribed norms, 78 have been deployed, while redevelopment work has been completed on 675 km out of 1,162 km of identified roads. At the same time, pollution control measures are being monitored in 1,309 industrial units across the state.
Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi shared this information after participating in a meeting of the high-level Task Force on air pollution management in Delhi-NCR today.
The Chief Secretary said that under a multi-pronged and coordinated strategy to improve air quality in the state, simultaneous action is being taken in key areas such as stubble management, road dust, industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, construction and demolition waste (C&D waste), solid waste management and air quality monitoring. He said that the significant reduction in incidents of stubble burning is the result of continuous monitoring, effective enforcement and crop residue management measures.
Around 79.7 lakh tonnes of paddy stubble is generated in the state. Under the crop residue management plan, 55 per cent of the stubble is planned to be managed in-situ (within the fields), 33 per cent through ex-situ (outside the fields) utilisation and 12 per cent through use as fodder. For 2026, the government has procured 7,950 crop residue management machines against a target of 9,000. Ex-situ utilisation of stubble has also increased continuously. In 2023, 13.2 lakh tonnes, in 2024, 15.5 lakh tonnes and in 2025, 21.9 lakh tonnes of stubble were utilised ex-situ, while this figure is estimated to reach 27.1 lakh tonnes in 2026.
He said that around 50 drones will be deployed to further strengthen monitoring in hotspot areas where stubble burning occurs. There is also a proposal to install low-cost PM 2.5 sensors in hotspot villages. In addition, ground verification of burnt areas will be carried out through a mobile application developed by ISRO.
The Chief Secretary said that as of August 2026, biomass co-firing in thermal power plants had reached 5.89 per cent, exceeding the prescribed five per cent norm. In brick kilns in Haryana outside the NCR, biomass co-firing has reached 21.9 per cent, which is proposed to be increased to 30 per cent from November 1.
The state government is also taking comprehensive steps to control dust generated from roads. A total of 1,162 km of roads have been identified for redevelopment, of which redevelopment work on 675 km has been completed, accounting for around 58 per cent. At the same time, the Road Asset Management System is also being implemented, under which special attention is being given to redevelopment of roads, repair of potholes and damaged footpaths, and better management of road infrastructure.
The Chief Secretary said that 78 of the 81 large and medium mechanical road sweeping machines required for roads more than 10 metres wide have been deployed, achieving 96 per cent of the deployment target. The process of deploying the remaining three machines is also being completed. For narrow roads, attention is also being given to digital tracking to ensure effective deployment of small mechanical sweeping machines, waste collection equipment and sweeping machines.
Regarding industrial pollution control measures, he said that 1,309 industrial units in the state are covered under industrial pollution control review. Of these, 192 units have been exempted or have been certified as having adequate pollution control arrangements. The remaining 1,117 units require air pollution control equipment, of which purchase orders have already been placed in 383 cases.
A total of 3,211 active Construction and Demolition sites with an area of more than 500 square metres have been registered on the monitoring web portal in the state. Monitoring through cameras and particulate matter sensors is being strengthened to ensure compliance with dust-control-related norms at construction sites.
At present, 1,018 electric city buses are operating in the state, while an estimated 2,900 buses are required. Similarly, 1,276 charging stations are available in the state, against an assessed requirement of 2,500 charging stations. To streamline traffic and reduce vehicular emissions, 121 traffic congestion points have been identified in the state, of which 46 have been resolved.
The Chief Secretary said that 22 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) are currently operational in the state, while the proposed network will include a total of 45 stations.
Rastogi said that action related to air pollution control would be further intensified ahead of the winter season. In particular, continuous monitoring and effective action will be ensured against incidents of farm fires, road dust, industrial and vehicular emissions, waste burning and other major sources of particulate pollution.
