Chandigarh, October 11, 2022 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior Congress Leader & Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Partap Singh Bajwa has come down heavily on the BJP’s union & Bhagwant Mann’s Punjab governments for their utter failure in dealing with the stubble burning in the state.
“ In fact to discourage the farmers from stubble burning the Bhagwant Mann government has adopted a completely draconian approach by putting their names in the red entry list”, said Bajwa while adding this was completely unacceptable.
There are numerous Supreme Court orders which clearly directed both the center and the state governments to pay compensation to the farmers at the rate of Rs. 100 per quintal to manage the residue or stubble after harvestation.
The aforesaid order of the supreme court was pronounced in the year 2019. So even after more than three years of the apex court order neither the union government nor the Punjab government formulated a policy to compensate the farmers for managing the stubble.
At one point of time though Punjab & Delhi governments agreed to pay Rs. 500 each to the farmer per acre and the union government was also supposed to contribute Rs. 1500 for the same. However later all three governments completely failed to honor their commitment.
Bajwa said the BJP government at center and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments in Punjab & Delhi have completely abdicated their responsibility and were now trying to blame only the farmers for their own failures.
“ The three judges bench of the apex court led by former chief justice of India N V Ramana has also said that it is absolutely wrong to blame the farmers for the air pollution in the national capital region including Delhi. In fact the supreme court had remarked that it has become a fashion to blame the farmers for the poor quality of air in the national capital. The court said farmers constitute only 4% to 10% of the total air pollution while the rest of the 90% is spread by vehicles and the industrial emissions ”, said Bajwa.
Bajwa said even the constant claims of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were exposed in the supreme court who always held farmers responsible for the Delhi air pollution.
Bajwa also criticized Punjab Agricultural Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal for approaching Sri Akal Takht Sahib to prevail upon the farmers not to indulge in stubble burning. “ Such an approach of the Bhagwant Mann government is completely baffling. Instead of making a concrete policy to deal with the situation it is trying to give it a religious color. This is an absolute failure of the government”, added Bajwa.
Bajwa said the farmers led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) President Joginder Singh Ugrahan held parleys with Bhagwant Mann for two consecutive days but the latter failed to find some amicable solution.
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