As polls near, Punjab goes easy on stubble-burning farmers
CHANDIGARH: Delhi is choking on smoke from rampant stubble burning in Punjab but the pollbound state’s pollution control board has not penalised any defaulting farmer since October 28, reportedly under political pressure.
Westerly winds carry smoke from Punjab’s paddy fields to Delhi — which has been shrouded by a thick blanket of smog since Diwali — posing serious health concerns to residents.
A study by IIT Kanpur listed stubble burning as the third highest contributor to Delhi’s winter air-pollution, after construction dust and vehicular fumes.
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) challaned 736 farmers across the state and fined them ₹30 lakh by October 27, a day before a hearing in the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The environment regulatory body also collected a third of the amount.
After that, there have been no challans. “Cases of (paddy stubble) burning have reduced considerably, so no more challans,” says a PPCB officer on condition of anonymity.
But the reality seems to be something else. In three months, Punjab goes to polls. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has a large support base among farmers which it wouldn’t want to lose. Its ally, the BJP, has an urban voter base. The opposition Congress termed the initial PPCB drive a harassment of farmers. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which will contest the polls, criticised the state government for acting tough on farmers.