Fields of fire: Haryana sees big jump in stubble burning cases

Focus on farmers' protests, upcoming polls have diluted state's drive against the practice

In mid-November, as the National Capital Region (NCR) was once again engulfed in a thick blanket of toxic smog, Sudhir Pandit, a farmer from Panipat in Haryana, debated on whether to spend Rs 2,000 per acre to get his farm cleared of crop stubbles or to simply burn them.

He ended up doing the latter. “I have a loan of several lakhs of rupees. Last year, the government promised us Rs 1,000 per acre if we did not grow paddy (the crop that leaves behind the stubble), but I did not get anything. The government’s tall promises of providing decomposer machines and sprays also proved hollow,” says Pandit, his eyes watering from the heat and smoke emanating from the flames leaping out of his farm.

Though worried about his health and the pollution caused by burning stubble, Pandit says, “If burning parali (stubble) is injurious to health, we are the first to face this danger. The government is not ready to compensate us. What other option do we have?”

Pandit, a tenant farmer who grows paddy in more than 35 acres of land, is burning the stubble as quickly as possible since he is late for sowing the rabi crop.

FIELDS OF FIRE

• Between September 15 and November 13, stubble burning incidents have grown by 48.5% in Haryana, according to Indian Agriculture Research Institute data
• Haryana has so far recorded 5,400 cases of stubble burning in 2021 as against 3,635 cases in 2020
• Punjab has seen 21% less incidents as compared to last year, but there has been a 53.3% jump in these cases from mid-October

But stubble burning is not without its problems, he says. “The fear of FIR, fines and imprisonment has always been there. Last year, even the slightest of fires attracted fines. But this year, it has been a free for all,” he says.

According to data from the Haryana go­v­ernment, as on November 10, only two fir­st information reports (FIRs) had been lo­dged against incidents of stubble burning.

Experts say that relative laxity in the drive against stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab this year could be because the focus was more on the ongoing farmers’ protests against the three controversial farm laws, and also because governments are preoccupied with the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

The lack of government action against stubble burning has even led some farmers to believe that the activity has become legal. And fake WhatsApp forwards haven’t helped matters. Here’s a sample: “Modi ne hi jalane ki boli hai... maine phone par dekha hai (The Prime Minister has asked us to burn the stubble. I have seen it on the phone),” says Satbir Singh from Karnal, who set fire to his crop residue last week.

The slackening of the drive against stubble burning has also led to an increase in the number of stubble burning cases in Haryana. Data from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) shows that stubble burning incidents this year are considerably lower in most states except Haryana, where, between September 15 and November 13, these have grown by 48.5 per cent.

The state has so far recorded 5,400 cases of stubble burning in 2021, as against 3,635 cases in 2020. As for Punjab, while the total number of stubble burning cases is 21 per cent less than last year, there has been a 53.3 per cent jump in these incidents from mid-October.

The Haryana government has come up with several measures to discourage stubble burning, including offering monetary incentives, introducing staggered paddy harvesting, and creating awareness through various campaigns. Panchayats, too, have passed zero stubble burning resolutions to discourage farmers from burning crop residue. However, the delay in the payout of incentives and the lack of implementation has farmers such as Pandit opting to burn the crop stubble.

“There are lots of hoardings of subsidised decomposer machines, but no one gets them. The stubble bundling machine costs more than Rs 1.25 lakh in the open market, and the state government doesn’t give us subsidies. Where is the solution then?” asks Kartar Singh, a farmer from Panipat.

Sudhir Kumar from Karnal says burning paddy stubble is an economic compulsion. Asked why they are not using a decomposer machine for straw management, Kumar replies that even if farmers are ready to adopt these mechanised systems, there aren’t enough machines to go around.

“We get only one machine for every two or three villages, which isn’t enough to cover all the farmland. First of all, it is very difficult to get hold of a machine. And even if one is available in the area, powerful landlords don’t let small farmers like us use them,” Kumar adds.

The Haryana government insists it is do­ing all it can to stamp out stubble burning. “Stubble burning is illegal. This year over Rs 64 lakh was collected through 3,120 challans,” says Hardeep Singh, director general, Department of Agriculture and Far­m­ers Welfare, Haryana. “The government is also running awareness campaigns across villages to persuade them not to burn stubble and instead, switch to alternative solutions.”

Clearly, it is not enough.