Stubble burning goes unchecked

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 17

Despite tall claims by the government to curb stubble burning, farmers are burning paddy straw in their fields in the area. The departments concerned have failed to check the practice even in the peripheral areas of the city.

Dense smoke can be seen in paddy fields as farmers are burning the paddy straw everywhere. Vegetable growers and dairy farmers are preparing their fields for vegetables and fodder.

Farmers claim that they cannot afford mulching the straw in fields or other solutions suggested by agricultural experts.

“There were a few farmers, who were adopting some techniques of plough or storage of paddy straw. But they have to spend money at least 4-litre diesel extra on one acre to chop the stubble with harvesting combine. The mulching process also needs money. The debt-ridden farmers can’t afford this. The government should bear the expenses if they want to address the problem. The speeches to save the environment would not give any solution. No farmer wanted to burn the paddy straw in the fields but there should be some viable solution,” said Jeewan Singh, a farmer at Khankot village.

“The government does not want some strict action against farmers. It is an election year and farmers are already organised against farm laws. The strictness would agitate them,” said an agriculture official requesting anonymity.

The Agriculture Department has been conducting awareness programmes to apprise farmers of the ill-effects of straw burning on soil health and the environment.