Punjab Farmers Continue to burn Stubble As No Aid Provided by Government

The Air Quality of Delhi after Diwali has just managed to recover back to the very poor category after being under the severe category till Saturday. This had actually made the Delhi govt to take drastic steps like putting schools in Delhi under a “Pollution Lockdown” till November 20.

However, this slight recovery might only last for a very short time as farmers in Punjab still continue to burn stubble in their farms which might result in a huge drop in the Air Quality Index for Delhi this winter.

The farmers in parts of Amritsar are actually alleging that the Govt has actually not done anything in terms of providing them with alternatives for Stubble burning, they are even actually asking compensation from the Government to help them burn stubble.

In response to this the Punjab Cabinet Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs,  Bharat Bhushan Ashu, told the Farmers on Saturday that pollution is not restricted to the country's northern provinces, but is a worldwide issue. He also advised people to think about the matter.

Despite knowing the air pollution risks that this activity can produce and cause for people, some farmers are actually still doing it. This is high time that they actually know that stubble burning is a global issue and that its repercussions are actually quite huge, and might affect their livelihoods too.

The Govts silence on these matters and the lack of FIRs might be because of the sensitive situation that the farmer’s protest has put them in. However, this issue cannot be ignored as it might lead to fatal diseases in people and also cause the deaths of people on a larger scale if not curtailed in time.

This activity of stubble burning was also banned by the National Green Tribunal on December 15, 2015, in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. However, this ban or any other law actually doesn’t seem to be affecting the people in what they are doing.

New and more efficient laws should be put in place to ensure that people don’t burn the stubble and farm mechs should be pushed to actually reach each and every corner of the states so that this excuse of Govt not doing enough doesn’t rise again.

New Laws are the need of the hour and must be implemented by the Government as soon as possible.