Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has urged the Centre to find a consensus among the affected states to resolve the pollution problem caused by stubble burning. The PMO office on Sunday held a meeting through video conferencing of Chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi on the problem of pollution.
While admitting that Punjab was contributing to Delhi’s smog, Singh said to put the blame only on his state was “absolutely incorrect”. He blamed that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was playing politics instead of taking steps to resolve the pollution problem.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday Amarinder Singh stated the action against 2,923 farmers in 20,729 cases of stubble burning reported till November 1 in Punjab. Amarinder Singh said his government expects a 10-20% decline in the number of cases this year due to an intensified drive. As against around 49,000 cases of stubble burning last year, the state has so far recorded 20,729 cases this year, with over 70% paddy already harvested. Enforcement teams-imposed fines amounting to Rs 41.62 lakh.
Action has also been taken against by imposing a fines of Rs 62 lakh on 31 combine harvesters operating without super-straw management systems.
However, Amarinder Singh said these steps were not sufficient to control the problem, as most farmers in Punjab are small farmers with less than 5 acres land, therefore, it is unviable for them to opt for hi-tech ways of managing stubble. He sought compensation from the Centre and added that his state was reeling under massive debt in the aftermath of GST.
Underlining the need to wean farmers away from paddy, he reiterated his demand for MSP for other crops to help promote diversification.
While admitting that Punjab was contributing to Delhi’s smog, Singh said to put the blame only on his state was “absolutely incorrect”. He blamed that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was playing politics instead of taking steps to resolve the pollution problem.
As the severity of air pollution continued to trouble the residents of National Capital Region of Delhi and parts of Northern India, the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday stepped in and decided that the Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana will monitor the situation round-the-clock.
The Principal Secretary, P K Mishra, held a meeting through video conference and will monitor the situation with the states on a daily basis, the PMO officials said. About 300 teams are in the field to reduce pollution and machinery necessary for this work has been distributed to these states.