Stubble burning not political issue; take steps to control it: Union Minister Tomar to states
New Delhi (PTI): As air pollution rises, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said stubble burning is not a "political issue", while expressing concern over rising such incidents in neighbouring states of Delhi despite funding and machines provided by the Centre.
Tomar appealed to four state governments -- Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi -- to take steps to control it, making use of available solutions i.e. Pusa decomposer, a bio-decomposer technique that converts stubble into compost much faster than usual.
Pusa decomposer, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is cheaper and easier to use. It not only controls stubble burning but also improves the soil fertility and productivity of soil, he added.
Tomar also said he held a review meeting a week back with concerned state government officials on the stubble burning situation. He would welcome if respective chief ministers wish to have further discussion on this matter.
Stubble burning in neighbouring states, which has been an old menace during the paddy harvesting season, remains a significant contributor to air pollution, especially across northern India, including the national capital. A maximum of 55 per cent stubble burning takes place in Punjab.
Addressing a day-long event on 'Pusa decomposer', Tomar said there is more discussion on "politics" surrounding stubble burning than its impact on land and what steps farmers should take to curb it.
Since the time stubble burning has become a major issue, the Centre, states, and judiciary have taken note of it and schemes have been implemented, he said.
For management of stubble, the Centre has provided Rs 3,138 crore to four states since 2018-19 and two lakh machines have been made available to them. Out of which, more than Rs 1,400 crore has been given to Punjab, Rs 900 crore to Haryana, Rs 713 crore to Uttar Pradesh and Rs 6-7 crore to Delhi, he said.
"Despite providing crores of rupees and 2 lakh machines, the stubble burning incidents are rising and it is definitely a cause of concern," Tomar said.
If those machines (like Happy seeder, a tractor mounted machine that cuts and lifts rice straw and sows wheat into the soil, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch) are put to use fully, there won't be a problem. If states want to control it then the answer lies in using whatever solutions available at present, he said.
Asserting that Pusa decomposer is a successful technique for decomposing the stubble, the minister said, "It is cheaper and easier to use. Farmers have used it. Decomposer will not only control stubble burning but improve soil fertility."
Some states, especially Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, have done good work and are moving towards a positive direction.
At that time, it was said that had decomposer machines been deployed, stubble burning would have been effectively controlled. Thereafter, about two lakh machines were made available to the states, he said.
"About 2 lakh machines have been purchased through states... if a state is determined, it can control stubble burning," Tomar told reporters on the sidelines of an event.
As agriculture minister, Tomar further said, he feels bad when farmers are blamed for the rise in pollution in Delhi.
"I am agriculture minister and represent the farming community. If pollution in Delhi rises due to farmers, I feel they are blaming me. It is everyone's responsibility to get rid of this stigma on farmers," he said.
He also said the stubble burning is not a "political issue," it is affecting both soil and air. But there is more debate on "politics" than its impact on the environment.
"In the evening those not concerned with the topic debate on the issue without any logic. Usually, the discussion is not on what farmers should do to address this problem," he said.
He further said the question is not what is the reason behind stubble burning. The point is paddy sowing is the country's necessity.
"Paddy is grown and machines are used (for harvesting), which results in huge quantities of stubble. The discussion is necessary on how to manage this stubble and what steps farmers, scientists and the governments should take," he added.
Agriculture secretary Manoj Ahuja said, "Stubble burning has posed a big challenge before us and we have to address this at the earliest. About 55 per cent stubble burning happens in Punjab, while rest in Delhi, Haryana and very less in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan."
In Punjab, farmers burn the paddy stubble as they have less time for planting wheat. Several steps have been taken to promote short duration paddy varieties that can be harvested in 135-145 days instead of 165 days of present paddy variety, he said.
About two lakh machines like 'Happy seeder' and 'Smart seeder' have been made available to the farmers and even Pusa decomposer is successful in converting the stubble into compost, he said, and urged farmers and states to use the available solutions to address the problem of stubble burning.
Several farmers from neighbouring states attended the day-long event that discussed ways to address concerns of farmers, if any.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
