As one travels from Delhi to Haryana during the wee hours on Tuesday on the GT Karnal road, one will witness a thin blanket of smog on road at border and gradually thickens as one move deeper in Haryana towards Chandigarh. This smog, emanating from the agricultural farms in Haryana engulfs Delhi each year and is a cause of trouble for the commuters.
The Pioneer team during night on Grand Trunk (GT) road spoke to various people/commuters enroute to Chandigarh. “This issue is never ending. Farmers blame the Government and the Government blames farmers but ultimately due to this stubble burning, we the common people are the sufferer,” said Robin Singh, advocate at Punjab and Haryana high court Chandigarh who had stopped at Sukhdev dhaba near Murthal due to poor visibility on the road.
While Baldev Singh, a lorry driver standing beside the road at Panipat toll tax said he is driving on the GT Road for last 8 years. “There is less smog on road this time as compared to the last year. I wish the situation improves because if there is a little more rise in smog on the road due to stubble burning the chances of accident cannot be ruled out then,” said Singh.
“It is very difficult to stop this practice of burning as there is no other alternative available for farmers to re-cultivate on the same of patch of land within a short span of 15 days,” said Tinu, a tea seller on highway adding that even he also faces loss in selling teas due to poor visibility.
According to Haryana Agriculture Department, Paddy is sown in 13.5 lakh acres in 12 of the 22 districts of Haryana. Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Jind, Kaithal and Bhiwani are the major paddy-growing districts. The harvest goes on till mid-November.
According to sources, the Haryana State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (HARSAC) has identified 77 “active fire locations (AFL)” across the state. “Their number stood at 46 till October 5, an increase of 31 fire sites,” said the source.
“To avoid stubble burning which is the main reason for pollution and smog on National Highway we are monitoring the fields through satellite. Wherever we find stubble burning in the field the team responses and fine is imposed on the violator,” said Aditya Pratap Dabas, Deputy Director, Agriculture department, Karnal.
After the blanket ban on stubble burning the farmers in Haryana and elsewhere are steadfast in complaining to authorities against those farmers who are burning their stubble. Farmers are using social media groups like What’sApp and mobile numbers to inform and report to officials about the farmers who are burning their stubble.
In less than a month’s duration about 260 cases of burning of stubble have been reported.
“Most of the time we are informed by farmers regarding the stubble burning. Farmers are reaching out against the old practice and are adopting new technology for better future crop management,” said Dabas.
