Burning wheat stubble illegal but continues unabated

Despite district administration warning farmers repeatedly against burning wheat stubble, it still continues to be a popular practice.

Despite district administration warning farmers repeatedly against burning wheat stubble, it still continues to be a popular practice.

Farmers have been burning stubble in various parts of the district even in broad daylight, the most recent being case in point witnessed on Friday afternoon in a farmland on PatialaRajpura road near Koli village.

Wheat stubble was seen burning at some other locations on Patiala-Samana road and Sanour. The practice is a serious violation of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board has issued mandatory guidelines to put a stop to such activities in an attempt to control pollution in the state.

Despite the laws and the state government providing reasonable subsidy over straw reaper machines, farmers still choose to burn wheat stubble.

Satnam Singh, a farmer, said “Managing wheat straw is not an economically viable exercise for a farmer and consumes a lot of time.”

“Chopper machines are costly and farmers cannot buy these machines on their own,” he added.

He, however, did not have anything to say when he was asked about the associated environmental pollution.

The district administration has already imposed Section 144 making stubble burning illegal and made it clear to the farmers but to no avail.

Deputy commissioner Varun Roojam could not be contacted for comment over the issue as stubble burning continues unchecked.