Chandigarh, Nov 7 (IANS): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state unit on Tuesday said that Punjab saw a 70 per cent decrease in stubble burning cases in the past two years and that the government is constantly taking steps to stop stubble burning.
AAP said the apex court has hinted that only Punjab farmers are not responsible for the dire pollution situation of Delhi as the court has also asked the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and the central government to take necessary measures to curb this problem.
AAP Punjab chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang told the media here that the government is already serious about the matters of Punjab's air, water and environment.
He said that since the formation of our government in Punjab, the Mann government is constantly taking steps to curb the issue of stubble burning in Punjab, their efforts are even showing results as cases of stubble burning have significantly decreased this year.
Kang said the stubble burning has been a compulsion of farmers but the government provided alternatives as biofuel factories which buy paddy stubble from farmers.
It helps farmers as they don't have to burn the stubble and they get good money for it too. “Only farmers are not responsible for the pollution that Delhi is facing today, so the central government must own up to its responsibility and take steps to curb all kinds of pollution in the national capital,” he said.
Kang added Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have asked the Haryana government and the Modi government to set up a fund to tackle this problem but the Centre refused the proposal.
“Now the Supreme Court has directed all governments, including the central government, to take measures to stop stubble burning and curb the pollution in Delhi.”
Kang added to save Punjab's air, water and soil, the government ensured that paddy is sowed in four phases and “we are constantly encouraging crop diversification by giving MSP on moongi, clearing dues of sugarcane farmers etc.”