Amritsar (Punjab) [India] : Stubble burning continued in Punjab on Monday amid ‘severe’ Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi. Farmers have said that they are burning the stubble out of helplessness and asked the state government to pay compensation to them to stop the burning of stubble in their fields. They have also alleged that propaganda is being run against the farmers. “We are burning stubble because we are helpless. The government should provide compensation of Rs 7000 per acre to stop this practice but it has not provided us with that. The prices of diesel are also rising and have touched Rs 100. How are we supposed to carry on with our agriculture in such a situation? It leaves us with no choice but to burn stubble,” said a farmer named Darshan while talking to ANI. “Propaganda is being run against farmers. We burn stubble for a month or two and it becomes an issue, but no government looks at the industries which cause pollution endlessly,” he added.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly blamed stubble burning in Punjab for the air pollution in the national capital. The air quality in various parts of the national capital continues to remain in the ‘severe category’, informed the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) on Monday. As per SAFAR’s analysis, an overall air quality index (AQI) of 432 was reported in the national capital today morning. According to the government agencies, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 are marked as severe/hazardous.
