Lack of political will worsened issue of farm fires: Ludhiana based agricultural economist

Ludhiana based agricultural economist and Padma Bhushan awardee Sardara Singh Johl made the comments during his address to the media at his residence in Gurdev Nagar on Tuesday.

Successive governments have failed to find effective solutions to the issue of stubble burning due to a lack of political will, according to agricultural economist and Padma Bhushan awardee Sardara Singh Johl.

Agri economist and Padma Bhushan awardee Sardara Singh Johl interacting with media at his house in Ludhiana. (Manish/HT)

The comments were made during Johl’s address to the media at his residence in Gurdev Nagar on Tuesday.

The former chancellor Central University of Punjab expressed concerns over the management of paddy crop residue, saying helping farmers avail subsidised services at private service centres with multiple super seeders and machinery and dealing with violation strictly were key to dealing with the menace.

Johl also batted for finding alternatives to paddy crop, saying it was important if the state government wants to save Punjab’s groundwater. Every year, he said, Punjab was extracting 1 km cube underground water, packing it in 22 million tonnes of grains and sending it outside the state.

Notably, the Central Board of Ground Water in their report estimated that the state’s groundwater level will go below 1,000 feet in the next 16 years, making even drinking water scarce.

“I appealed in 1986 through my report on diversification to reduce the area under rice by 20% to maintain the state’s water balance. Again in 2002, I appealed to reduce the rice area by one million hectare. The Centre approved ₹1,600 crore, but it was lost due to political indifference on the part of the state governments,” he said.

John said canal water does not even meet one-fourth of the requirements of the state’s crop pattern.

While talking about Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL), he said the Punjab and Haryana are quarrelling over water rights, whereas unchallenged Rajasthan, that has no link with Punjab rivers, is getting more water than what these two states get put together.