'We're Being Defamed': Punjab Farmers Say Delhi Air Pollution Caused By Industries, Other Reasons

Farmers in Punjab said that they were being unnecessarily defamed over the issue of stubble burning and added that Delhi air pollution is caused by industrial and vehicular pollution.

Stubble burns in Amritsar, Punjab.

Source : PTI

The Supreme Court's order instructing the Punjab government to put a stop to stubble burning has stirred a row as farm leaders said they were being defamed under a "conspiracy". Farmers said they were unnecessarily being targeted and defamed for air pollution in Delhi, reported PTI. They said the main causes of the pollution in the national capital are industries, vehicles and the construction sector and not stubble burning.

Governments in states neighbouring Delhi are blaming each other for not being able to control the burning of crop residue leading to a massive increase in pollutants making the air in the national capital hazardous. According to PTI, Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered a significant contributor to Delhi pollution in October and November every year.

Now, BJP has held AAP-rule Punjab responsible for the same while the former pit the blame on BJP-governed Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

This comes after the top court on Tuesday raised concern over Delhi's deteriorating air quality and asked the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi to "immediately" stop the burning of stubble.

Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan reacted to the developments and said farmers were unnecessarily defamed for air pollution in Delhi. He asked how smoke from crop residue burning in Punjab could cause air pollution only in Delhi and not in Jalandhar, Amritsar and other districts of the state.

"Where farm fires are taking place, the air quality is good. How is it causing pollution 300 km away in Delhi?” Kokrikalan said, as quoted by PTI. "It is vehicles, industries and the construction sector which pollute the air in Delhi," he further said adding that "farmers of Punjab are being defamed under a conspiracy".

On Monday, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said most stubble burning incidents were being witnessed in the BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh whereas such cases are declining in his state. On the other hand, Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal recently slammed the CM Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government for stubble burning incidents.

Paddy growers in Punjab continue to set crop residue ablaze to clear their fields to sow wheat crops as the window between harvesting and sowing the next crop is short.

According to PTI, farmers have been advised to sow the wheat crop in the first fortnight of November as delayed sowing could result in a drop in the crop yield. Punjab has reported 19,463 farm fires from September 15 till November 6 and which was 35 per cent less than 29,999 such cases in the same period last year, the agency stated.

As per the report, Punjab on Monday reported 2,060 incidents of stubble burning. Meanwhile, BKU (Dakunda) chief Buta Singh Burjgill said that instead of taking action against farmers, the government should provide machines or other solutions for crop residue management, according to PTI. He added that farm fire incidents have reduced by 40 per cent this season as compared to last year.