New Town takes steps to stop stubble burning

Kolkata: New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has taken an initiative to stop stubble burning that cause environmental pollution and arrest those involved with it.

A meeting was held in NKDA on November 4 to address the important issue.

It was presided over by Debashis Sen, chairman of NKDA. Some of the initiative are, officers and security staffs of Eco Park will co-ordinate with bird watchers, NGOs, police and local residents to intensify vigil and create whatsapp group.

This group will work as air pollution RG Party. RG parties, or Resistance Group Parties, were quite popular in different parts of Kolkata and Salt Lake in the 1890s and 1990s.

The residents used to take part in taking night rounds to prevent thefts and dacoity attempts.

The moment they found anybody moving around suspiciously they raised an alarm and informed the police. The RG parties were quite effective in bringing down thefts at night. Anybody noticing anything while passing by or from their balconies would post the information with photos for quick action. Drone surveillance and other methods are also being contemplated.

In addition, from NKDA, a small motorcycle owning youths have been deployed as volunteers to keep moving randomly, but systematically, so as to cover all zones and action areas at night time and day time. They are to try to identify those who burn stubbles/grasses, those who dump garbage/plastics/PPEs surreptitiously in isolated plots and those who park trucks and buses on streets illegally.

Already, the photographs of people burning grass have been clicked but they could not be picked up for interrogation. The photos have been given to the local police stations.

There are various theories and hypothesis as to who are doing this and why. It is said that the drug addicts burn rubbish to get metals from burnt solid wastes, construction workers make fire to ward off snakes, fishermen burn to make short cuts to water bodies, thieves burn to dig and steal underground cables and solid waste management agency staff burn to avoid going to distant Dhapa for disposal.