West Bengal Environment Minister Manas Bhunia said that air pollution in southern districts of the state was increasing due to stubble burning in neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar. Addressing a press conference on Monday, he said the state government was planning to plant "tall trees" along the border to prevent smoke from stubble burning enter the state.
Asked which species of trees will be planted and by when, Bhunia later told PTI, "We are discussing these with experts and it will be announced shortly." "We will hold a meeting to decide the mechanism," he added. West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) chairman Kalyan Rudra said a satellite-based mechanism to monitor the burning of stubble has been developed with assistance from IIT-Delhi.
Bhunia also said sensors will be installed in state-run buses to measure air pollution on Kolkata roads. Initially, the devices will be installed in buses of six-seven routes that crisscross the city, he said. "We will soon install sensors in state-run buses of six-seven routes to measure air pollution. Three-four non-AC buses in each of these routes will have the devices installed in the driver's cabin to disseminate real-time data," he said.
The project was being implemented with the help of experts from IIT-Delhi, the minister said. Bhunia chaired a meeting with representatives of firecracker makers where problems ailing the sector were discussed. The fireworks makers expressed willingness to produce environment-friendly fireworks if they receive necessary assistance from the state, he said. "They claimed that NOC (no objection certificate) from fire brigade gets delayed at times and police conduct raids causing hardships to them," the minister said.
Bhunia said he assured the representatives that he would look into these issues. The state government was planning a cluster for the industry in the South 24 Parganas district, besides training the manufacturers. He said the WBPCB will be on guard on Christmas and New Year's Eve to check bursting of firecrackers. On the indiscriminate firecrackers used during and after the FIFA World Cup's final match on Sunday night, Bhunia said, "Yes, I also heard about that. We are trying to bring down air and sound pollution."
