Exclusive: As Delhi Air Worsens, Punjab Farmers Say Stubble Burning Only Option

Delhi's bad air days are back and the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, primarily blamed for the choking air in the national capital, is under the scanner again. As voices in the capital reiterate that the farmers are to be blamed for Delhi's alarming air quality, NDTV spoke to some of them on their reasons for continuing stubble burning.

In Punjab's Mohali district, heaps of stubble can be seen on farmlands as farmers wait for the government to provide machines to manage the crop residue. "We are helpless, the sowing season has begun. By now, our fields should have been ploughed and ready. But the stubble is still here, we cannot run tractors. The government is talking about baler machines, but they are not available in adequate numbers," a farmer said.

Asked about the government's contention that the farmers are burning stubble even after they were provided required equipment, another farmer responded, "Some agriculture officials came to meet us. We asked them to find a solution. Initially, they said they would send machines. Later, they refused and said the machines wouldn't come to our lands because we have small holdings."

Another farmer, who has a large land holding, said the government's Cooperation department must start a process to use crop stubble to manufacture useful byproducts such as oil. "The machines are not viable for those with small land holdings if they want to get crop residue removed on their own," he said. "On the ground level, no machines are being made available. They are only showing it on paper. You show me one machine with any farmer. The cooperative societies don't have them either." 

Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog today as the Air Quality Index in several areas remained in the 'very poor' category. Restrictions under Stage 2 of Graded Response Action Place are in force.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), set up for better coordination in Delhi's annual fight with air pollution, has urged citizens to use public transport and replace air filters in their vehicles. People have also been advised to avoid dust-generating activities and open burning of solid waste and biomass.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had pulled up the Punjab and Haryana governments over the non-prosecution of those found guilty of stubble burning. The chief secretaries of the two states have been asked to appear today to explain.