New Delhi: Haryana has introduced mandatory online reporting of biomass fuel use by brick kilns in its non-NCR districts, requiring operators to disclose every purchase and monthly consumption of paddy straw-based biomass pellets as part of efforts to curb crop residue burning and reduce air pollution.
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has launched an online monitoring portal where all brick kiln owners in non-NCR districts must register and upload details of every procurement of paddy straw-based biomass pellets immediately after purchase.
Under the new system, kiln owners must provide purchase invoices, supplier details, GST numbers and the declared percentage of paddy straw used in the biomass pellets. They will also have to submit monthly reports on brick production, total fuel consumption, and the quantities of coal, conventional biomass and paddy straw-based biomass pellets used.
The HSPCB said the portal has been developed to enable continuous monitoring of biomass pellet procurement and consumption and to ensure compliance with directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The CAQM has prescribed a phased increase in the use of paddy straw-based biomass pellets and briquettes by brick kilns in Haryana’s non-NCR districts. The mandatory co-firing target is 20% from November 1, 2025, increasing to 30% from November 1, 2026, 40% from November 1, 2027, and 50% from November 1, 2028.
The pollution control board has directed its regional offices to circulate the order, obtain acknowledgements from brick kiln owners within seven days and submit action-taken reports.
HSPCB Regional Officer Shakti Singh said the initiative is aimed at strengthening monitoring of biomass fuel use, improving compliance with pollution-control norms and encouraging the adoption of paddy straw-based biomass pellets as an alternative fuel.
The directions, issued under Section 31-A of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, are intended to support the implementation of CAQM’s biomass co-firing mandate while providing an alternative use for agricultural residue that would otherwise be openly burned.
