Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday appealed to the visiting National Green Tribunal (NGT) team not only to give sermons to the farmers over stubble burning in Punjab but also bring both the Union and State Governments on board to show what they had done in this regard.
“AAP is not in favour of burning crop residue as the exercise posed a potential danger to the living and non-living organisms, including, besides humans, plants, water, air, animals and insects, et al...But the farmers do it out compulsion as they have to bear an additional financial burden of Rs 1000 per acre to clear the residue to enable him to sow the next seasonal crop,” said AAP MLA and the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema.
Cheema said that the hassled farmer, who was already head over heels in debt, had been left with no finances to meet the expenses on disposing of the crop residue, which was the fallout of anti-farmer policies of the subsequent governments in the State.
He demanded that the Union and State governments should come to the rescue of poor farmers and allow special bonus or subsidy to suffice enough to dispose of the stubble without spending additional money.
Cheema added that the governments should set up high-tech project to generate power out of the stubble in the state.
Expressing his satisfaction over marginally tackling the menace, Cheema said that the government should not claim the credit for this effort since the farmers had done it by driving hole in their pockets.
Cheema urged the visiting NGT team to ask the respective government what they had done to check the menace of stubble burning in the state.