123 Kolkata: With winter setting in, a few incidents of stubble burning have started in New Town. The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has deployed block-wise supervisors to keep a check on the nuisance and has asked the police to take steps against the miscreants if caught red-handed.
On Saturday, a patch of open land close to Jatragachi in Action Area II was set on fire. The entire area was engulfed in smoke as the locals informed the police. A fire tender was sent, and the fire was doused after an hour. "In some places, garbage is accumulating in the open spaces as miscreants are setting it on fire. The matter needs to be checked," said Samaresh Das, a resident.
NKDA officials said that block supervisors have been asked to keep regular checks. "Residents are urged to immediately call the local police stations, fire brigade, or the NKDA helpline number if any grass or biomass burning is seen. The police have been told to take action against the offenders if they could be detected and caught red-handed," said a NKDA official. The authorities have lately been campaigning through social media platforms to generate awareness to prevent stubble burning.
Officials said that arrangements like water tanks, CCTV surveillance, and watch towers are there to check and prevent the nuisance as much as possible. "An inspection path was also carved out between the vacant lands at the Central Business District (CBD) last year for entering the fields and to keep watch to prevent any such incident," said an official.
Environment experts said that though stubble and grass burning predominantly takes place during winters, instead of collecting and properly disposing of them, the trimmed and cut stubble grass is often burnt as a shortcut method to dispose of them. "This adversely affects the environment as it increases the CO2 level and adds up to a sudden localised increase in temperature," said environment scientist Swati Nandi Chakraborty.
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