Farmers in Punjab`s Amritsar continue to burn stubble despite ban

The farmers of the state say that they are left with no other alternatives then to burn the paddy stubble. They also suggested that if the government wants to stop the practice of stubble burning, they should set up plants where they can sell the crop residue.

Amritsar: Despite a ban on stubble burning, farmers in Punjab's Amritsar seem to be hardly impacted by the regulation as they continue to burn crop residue. The farmers of the state say that they are left with no other alternatives than to burn the paddy stubble.

"We are left with no option than to burn it as the crop remains are of no use. Even animals don't consume it. There is no industrial use of it, and even if there is any, there are no plants here," one of the farmers told news agency ANI. He suggested that if the government wants to stop the practice of stubble burning, they should set up plants where they can sell the crop residue.

In the meantime, the national capital has been facing the brunt of continuous smoke being generated by stubble burning in its neighbouring states Punjab and Haryana.

For the past few days, the air quality in Delhi has worsened because of the practice of setting paddy fields ablaze by the farmers. On Sunday, Delhi air quality remained poor for the fourth consecutive day with overall Air Quality Index (AQI) docking at 266. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the pollution level will plunge tomorrow with the AQI oscillating between the 'poor' to 'moderate' category.