Stubble burning continues unabated in Haryana

AMBALA: The Haryana government’s claims of making efforts to stop stubble burning have been belied by the fact that farmers continue to indulge in it without caring about its consequences. Farmers continue to burn stubble without any fear of being punished. In other words, they are in the practice fearlessly.
A TOI team in Ambala district found farmers burning stubble without any fear of punitive action from the authorities.In Ambala, like in other areas, smog was an aberration not only for commuters but morning walkers as well.
Ambala’s CMO Vinod Gupta said smog led to respiratory diseases during this time every year. “The people suffering from asthma need to take extra precautions during these days. An asthma patient may even die due to the smog,” Gupta said.
Farmers on the other hand, claimed helplessness and regretted lack of alternatives other than stubble burning. Said Mahindra Singh, a farmer, “If we do not burn the stubble, seeds of the next crop do not get mixed in the soil, following which we suffer losses. The government should provide farmers with an alternative,” Singh alleged.
He added that marginal farmers could not afford machines to manage the stubble. “Moreover, why does the government only keep a watch on stubble burning and not the pollution emitted out by the industries,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, ADGP Haryana R C Mishra said that they had received directions from the government to lodge a complaint against the violators. However, he was not specific about the number of challans issued to farmers.
Agricultural research scholar, Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, said, “There are two methods to manage crop residues. One is ‘In-situ’ and the other is ‘Ex-situ.’The machine costs about Rs 10 lakh.”