E-Paper
Registering FIRs no solution, provide alternative: Farm organisations to Punjab govt
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of the BKU (Ugrahan), alleged that in a bid to hide their failure before the Supreme Court in controlling stubble burning, the state government had held farmers responsible for farm fires incidents in Punjab.
A day after a crackdown by the state government on farmers indulging in stubble burning, farmer unions have condemned the action asking them to stop registration of FIRs and stop penalising farmers for burning straw.
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of the BKU (Ugrahan), alleged that in a bid to hide their failure before the Supreme Court in controlling stubble burning, the state government had held farmers responsible for farm fires incidents in Punjab.
“The government through the state police has started intimidating farmers by registering FIRs under different sections of IPC and slapping environmental compensation and red entries in the land records. The government should tell the apex court what it had done to control the farm fires,” he said.
He claimed that the court should be informed that both Centre and state governments have completely failed to provide any alternative to paddy crop. Also, the government has not provided adequate machinery for managing straw through scientific techniques.
“There is no alternative on the ground for paddy crop as there is no guaranteed price for any of the other crop in kharif season,” he said.
Meanwhile, Buta Singh Burjgill, state president of BKU (Dakaunda), said it is sad that both state and Centre are blaming Punjab farmers for depleting air quality in the national capital.
“The fact is that the stubble burning contributes only 8% in air pollution, while emission of gaseous pollutants from industries, which run throughout the year, contributes 51% in deteriorating the air quality,” he said.
He added that the Punjab government is working in a haste in registering the cases against the farmers. “The farmers have responded positively to government plans for scientific management of stubble this year. It will take another three years to completely control farm fires in the state,” said Burjgill, while demanding cancellation of FIRs against the farmers.
