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Punjab: Farmers continue stubble burning due to high costs of alternative methods

One of the farmers said that they are burning stubble as the government is not helping them, making them helpless.

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Farmers continue to burn stubble in Tarn Taran area of Punjab as they cannot afford the equipment to dispose of stubble.

"Most of the small farmers own 2-3 acres of land and they are not able to get a tractor. How can they buy tools for the straw? Due to the non-availability of a tractor nearby, farmers have no option left other than stubble burning," Krishan Singh told news agency ANI on Sunday.

Singh said that farmers are burning stubble as they are helpless and the government is not helping them.

"Burning the stubble is the biggest threat to the farmer's family but we are helpless because the government does not find any concrete solution. Although the government said that according to the Green Tribunal report, the farmers will be given the tools but we did not get anything. The government has also announced that Rs 2,500 will be given as compensation but no farmer has received any compensation," he added.

He further said that stubble burning contributes very less to air pollution and major producers of pollution are vehicles and industry.

"Union Minister Prakash Javadekar himself has said that stubble burning only contributes to one to two per cent of the pollution while major pollution is produced by the vehicles and industry. Central and State Government can provide relief to farmers if they want to do so," he said.

On Friday, the Supreme Court appointed Justice (retd) Madan B Lokur, a former judge of the top court, to act as the one-man monitoring committee to prevent stubble burning in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde, while hearing a plea highlighting the issue of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, said that the court is only concerned that the citizens of Delhi-NCR get to breathe clean and fresh air.

The bench said that the new committee, which will monitor the stubble burning and take preventive steps, will get assistance from chief secretaries of all states.

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