Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday demanded a “practical solution” from the Central government to the problem of stubble burning and sought compensation for the farmers which could be an alternative to the crop procurement.
Mann stated that the farmers dont even want to cultivate paddy but MSP is not available on an alternative crop which makes them burn the stubble which ultimately worsens the air quality.
“The issue of stubble burning is not limited to any one state. It is the issue of the whole of the Northern India. If PM Modi can stop the Ukraine war like they showed in the ad, can they not stop the smoke here? He should make all the states sit together, give compensation, call scientists. The farmers don’t want to burn stubble. The farmers don’t even want to cultivate paddy but MSP is not available on an alternative crop,” Mann said.
“When the paddy is produced the farmers are praised, but what about the stubble? Then they want to charge a fine… We don’t know if Punjab’s smoke reaches Delhi or not but the smoke harms the farmer and his village first,” he added.
“We have been asking for compensation to stop the burning but they (centre) have been asking us to encourage the farmers against it… Encouragement does not work, practical steps need to be taken,” Mann said.
Mann stated that the Punjab government has been requesting the Centre to provide compensation to the farmers, but in response, the Centre is urging them to encourage the farmers to stop the stubble burning.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also informed that the state government has given 1.25 lakhs machines to the farmers and as a result Out of 75 lakh hectares of paddy crop, stubble of 40 lakhs is not burnt, he said as per the NGOs.
To stop the farmers from burning the stubble, the state government of Haryana in an official order stated that as per the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), FIR should be registered against all farmers who burn or have burnt paddy crop residue during the current season from 15 September 2024.
“A red entry should be made in the Meri Fasal Mera Bayora (MFMB) record of farmers who are found involved in paddy crop residue burning which will restrict the farmers to sell their crops in the mandis through e-Kharid portal during the next two seasons,” said a notice by the Haryana Government.
The Haryana CM heaped praise for the farmers of his state for following the orders of the government and not getting involved in burning the stubble.
“The farmers of Haryana are aware and I congratulate them because they were also praised by the Supreme Court. If a farmer burns stubble, then we will make him understand. We are also providing instruments at subsidy… Our farmers are very aware and they will not do anything like this,” Saini said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned the Chief Secretaries of the Punjab and Haryana governments and asked them to explain why legal action against stubble burning in the states was not taken.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih slammed both the states while noting that not a single prosecution had taken place against stubble burning incidents. (ANI)
