Delhi HC asks for listing of steps to curb stubble burning

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and the Delhi government to list out the steps to curb burning of stubble after harvesting of crops, which was leading to smog in the NCR region.

A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Ashutosh Kumar asked the governments to also apprise it of the reasons for the burning of biomass and crop residue by farmers of neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan.

"What is the reason behind biomass burning? Why farmers do that? You (governments) have to understand its root cause to solve the problem," said the bench while posting the matter for September 22.

"Delhi is becoming difficult (to live) with all these diseases and now you add pollution to this," the bench said.

Hearing public interest litigations on increasing air pollution in the capital, the court said that the pollution level will further increase after Diwali. Crop residue burning after the festival of lights will also take place, leading to more air pollution and smog.

"On the one hand, farmers are growing crops to feed you (people) and on the other he (farmer) is burning crops to kill you and himself," the bench observed.

The bench said that burning crop residue/stubble may be cheaper for farmers (to prepare land for the next cycle of cultivation) but it costs health. There has to be some technology, subsidies, penalty so that he does not burn stubble/crop residue.