The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked why is the Punjab government not making the process of crop residue management 100% free. "To burn it, all the farmer needs to do is light a matchstick. Machine for the management of crop residue to farmers is not everything. Even if a machine is given for free, there is diesel cost, manpower, etc.
The Supreme Court said that farmers are being "made a villain" and they are not being heard here in the court. "They must have some reasons for burning stubble," observed the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also sought to know why the Punjab government cannot fund diesel, manpower, etc and utilize the byproduct. The SC said Punjab should also take a cue from Haryana in the manner in which financial incentives are given.
Observing that a blame game will not help in reducing pollution, Supreme Court ordered the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments to take action and file a report before it. "Ghaziabad will say Loni, Loni will say Ghaziabad. Delhi will say UP, and UP will say Delhi. Whether it’s one km here or there, people are suffering. That’s the bottom line. We expect both UP and Delhi to take action and file a report before us," the court said.
