Will take legal steps if states don’t stop crop burning: Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday said it would be “compelled” to take legal recourse if its neighbouring states do not act immediately to stop stubble burning, one of the primary contributors to air pollution in the national Capital.

The warning came after Delhi’s air quality on Monday slipped back to the ‘poor category’. On Sunday, the air quality had improved to the moderate level with an index of 181 but on Monday it worsened to 246, data with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) stated.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401500 severe. the Centre and the state governments concerned,” the government said in a statement released on Monday.

Stubble burning is prevalent across Punjab and Haryana and in parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Delhi environment minister Imran Hussain said farmers in the neighbouring states are finding it more convenient and cheaper to pay fines for stubble burning, instead of availing of the measures needed to avoid the practice.

“NASA images have confirmed that agricultural waste/ stubble burning has begun in the neighbouring states of Delhi. “I have been consistently writing to the union minister of environment & forest and climate change to convene highlevel meetings with the chief ministers and environment ministers of neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi in this regard,” the minister said.

The environment minister said despite this, incidents of stubble burning continue unabatedly.

“This is likely to further worsen the ambient air quality of the national Capital in the coming weeks when the festive season gets underway and the atmosphere also gets cooler due to approaching winter season,” he said. KARNAL : The nexus between rice millers, who have been given the rights of paddy procurement for government agencies, and commission agents, is allegedly forcing the farmers to sell their produce below the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

According to the ‘aggrieved’ farmers, the rice millers, who have been authorised to purchase parmal varieties of paddy on the MSP of ₹1,770 from farmers, have allegedly distributed areas among themselves in almost all the mandis and now they were purchasing the produce at their own prices, as no miller interferes in other’s area.

The commission agents are also helping them in the name of high moisture content, causing losses upto ₹100-₹200 per quintal, the farmers alleged.

As per information there were only 5-10 authorised purchasers in every grain market and they have divided the shops of mandis.