CAQM Sets Up Permanent Cell in Mohali for Year-Round Paddy Stubble Management

In a strategic move to combat seasonal air pollution and ensure sustainable crop residue management, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has inaugurated a Dedicated CAQM Cell at SAS Nagar (Mohali), Punjab. This newly established facility marks a significant shift from seasonal interventions to a year-round, systemic approach aimed at addressing the chronic issue of paddy stubble burning—a major contributor to poor air quality in North India, especially during winter.

From Temporary Action to Permanent Oversight

This permanent Cell, located at the Kisan Vikas Chamber, Kalkat Bhawan in Mohali, is the evolution of the Paddy Stubble Management Cell (PSMC) that operated on a temporary basis from October 1 to November 30, 2024, during the peak stubble burning season. The previous temporary setup had limited capacity, primarily focused on damage control during harvest time. The establishment of a permanent Cell was made possible after sustained coordination with the Punjab Government, which extended the required infrastructure and logistical support to facilitate CAQM’s long-term mission.

Key Mandate and Strategic Functions

The CAQM Cell in Mohali will act as the central hub for managing the entire paddy straw lifecycle in Punjab and Haryana, with a mandate that spans across multiple functions:

• Planning and Coordination: Develop state-wise and district-specific strategies for in-situ and ex-situ management of paddy residue.

• Farmer Engagement: Implement awareness drives, training programs, and incentive distribution schemes to encourage farmers to adopt stubble management practices.

• Stakeholder Interface: Act as the nodal point for coordination with Agriculture Departments, Panchayati Raj institutions, private sector off-takers, and government procurement agencies.

• Supply Chain Oversight: Monitor the logistics and assured delivery of paddy straw to end-users such as biomass power plants, bio-CNG units, and paper mills.

• Enforcement and Compliance: Work closely with field enforcement teams and Flying Squads to ensure on-ground compliance and timely reporting during the harvesting period.

This continuous oversight model aims to decentralize monitoring, thereby improving the speed of response and enabling data-driven interventions.

Expanding Focus Beyond Stubble Burning

While the management of paddy straw remains the core focus, the Cell’s responsibilities also include broader air pollution control efforts, particularly in:

• Thermal Power Plants (TPPs): Supervision of biomass co-firing initiatives, a key strategy to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and to utilise surplus stubble as an energy resource.

• NCR Districts of Haryana: Monitoring air quality across Haryana’s districts that are geographically removed from Delhi but experience rising pollution levels during the crop burning season.

• Sectoral Coordination: Interacting with pollution control boards, industrial clusters, and transport departments to ensure integrated air quality management.

Policy Shift: Year-Round Management is the New Norm

The establishment of the CAQM Cell is emblematic of a broader policy transition—from seasonal firefighting to institutionalised, sustained, and multi-sectoral air quality governance. Until now, efforts to curb stubble burning and resulting pollution spikes have largely been reactionary, peaking around October and November. However, experts and policy planners have repeatedly stressed the need for continuous planning and pre-season execution, especially to boost ex-situ utilisation of paddy straw, such as conversion to biofuels, packaging materials, or use as cattle fodder.

By maintaining year-long vigilance and building stakeholder capacity across seasons, the Cell is expected to drastically reduce last-minute burning incidents while simultaneously enabling productive economic uses for crop residue.

Implications for Air Quality and Climate Goals

Crop burning contributes significantly to Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10) pollution across northern India, often triggering health emergencies in Delhi-NCR and beyond. The presence of a permanent Cell aligns with India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets and commitments made under climate adaptation strategies to reduce carbon and methane emissions from agriculture.

The move also reinforces the importance of inter-state collaboration, as the Cell will serve as a joint monitoring and execution platform for both Punjab and Haryana—two of India’s largest paddy-producing states and principal contributors to seasonal air pollution due to stubble burning.

Looking Ahead

The Dedicated CAQM Cell at Mohali is expected to be a game-changer in tackling the persistent challenge of air pollution and ushering in a new era of farmer-oriented, technology-driven crop residue management. It provides a model that can potentially be replicated across other crop-burning regions of India, and its success could influence future national policies around agro-waste utilisation, sustainable farming, and rural employment.