Chandigarh: In a statement released here today, Khaira vehemently condemned the Capt. Amarinder Singh government for stubble burning, as the government has totally failed to provide equipment or machinery to consume the straw in the soil. Khaira deplored the district administration of Amritsar for challaning 101 farmers in the past three days for flouting the ban on burning of crop residue in their fields. Khaira said the administration has imposed a fine of Rs. 2.56 lacs on the farmers for no fault of theirs.
Khaira said although he stands for clean environment and doesn’t support burning of stubble but they have no option, as the government has completely failed to provide machinery, subsidy or financial assistance to them to consume the straw in the fields instead of burning. Khaira said the government had one full year to make arrangements for the required equipment to consume straw in the soil but the government has slept over the matter and has arranged for very little equipment, as compared to the quantum of paddy crop.
Khaira said that the farmers of Punjab are already under a huge debt burden of Rs. 1 lac crore and continue to commit suicides in large numbers each day, how can the government can expect them to spend an additional Rs. 5,000-6,000 per acre from their own pocket to consume the straw in the soil? Khaira said it is the responsibility of the Punjab government to ensure cheap subsidised availability of machinery required to consume stubble in the soil, but the government is trying to shift the onus of its failure on the already shattered farmers. Khaira said that the farmers have only recently suffered heavy losses of lacs of acres of paddy crop in Punjab due to floods, for which the government has paid no compensation till date.
Khaira said the burning of the paddy residue causes only about 8 percent pollution while the remaining 92 percent pollution is generated through polluting industry, heavy vehicular traffic etc. Khaira also lambasted the Modi government for not implementing the Swaminathan Committee recommendations while announcing the MSP of crops and if the farmers raise their voice they are lathicharged and beaten up mercilessly. Khaira said all successive governments at the centre have been anti farmers and have only increased the woes of the farming fraternity.
Khaira warned the state government that in case it carried on to victimise farmers by challaning them on stubble burning, his party would be left with no option but to support the affected farmers ongoing agitation on this issue.