The bench also directed each state to submit to the Secretary, Agriculture Ministry, a list of all existing and proposed thermal power plants or biomass-based energy plants
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday directed the Centre and the state governments of Delhi and neighbouring states to come up with "workable solutions" to curb burning of crop residue, including using the paddy straw as fuel in power plants. The Tribunal directed the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, to chair a meeting on the issue.
It also asked the Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Managing Director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited and senior officials of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) to participate in this meeting, which will be held on November 28.
The NGT bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, passed these directions while hearing a contempt plea filed by environmental activist Vikrant Tongad on the issue of stubble burning.
During the meeting, the bench ordered the officials to deliberate on a host of issues and submit their recommendations by December 6. It also said that it shall be deliberated if, "every state should or should not be directed to establish its own pelletisation plant for agriculture residue to make it fit for utilisation as fuel in the thermal power plants run by the NTPC."
Further, the officials would have to deliberate on incentives that could be provided to farmers and recommend ways to transport the crop residue to the plants.
In response, the NTPC informed the Tribunal that at six thermal power plants located in north India, the demand for crop residue in pellet form is 8,000-15,000 metric tonnes per day.
"This demand shall form a very small (5-10 per) percentage of the total coal that is being used by the NTPC," the NGT bench observed.
THE BENCH SAID
- The bench also directed each state to submit to the Secretary, Agriculture Ministry, a list of all existing and proposed thermal power plants or biomass-based energy plants.
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