Stubble burning, failure of 4 state governments: NHRC on air pollution

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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday said the farmers cannot be blamed for stubble burning, causing pollution; it is the failure of four state governments including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The Commission on November 10 heard the chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh on November 10 in connection with its suo motu cognizance of unabated air pollution in Delhi- NCR.

The Commission says, “After considering the responses of the concerned states and the Government of NCT of Delhi, and the deliberations thereon are of the opinion that the farmers are burning stubbles under compulsion.”

The commission said that the state governments have to provide harvest machines to get rid of those stubbles, but they have failed to provide an adequate number of requisite machines and other measures as a result of which, farmers are forced to burn the stubbles, causing pollution.

“None of the states can blame the farmers for stubble burning, it is due to the failure of all four state governments that the stubble burning is happening in the states of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh causing enormous pollutants in the air,” said the NHRC.

The Commission has asked the concerned chief secretaries to remain present again either in person or hybrid mode on November 18, 2022, for the next hearing in the matter and submit their response within four days on the steps raised during the hearing.