Madhya Pradesh: Stubble Burning Paralyses Alot, Smoke Chokes Bypass

Alot (Madhya Pradesh): Dangerous stubble burning continues unabated, despite warning by local administration across the region. The thick smoke emerging out of flames from nearby fields completely engulfed Nageshwar bypass like a blanket.

The smoke created zero visibility conditions that brought traffic to a standstill on Sunday afternoon. Residual smoke continues to rise from affected areas, creating respiratory hazards for residents and commuters.

No decline in stubble burning incidents

The fire consumed vegetation across a 200-feet area, burning for approximately 90 minutes from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. Despite the severity, no calls were made to the fire brigade.

Although, the state government cautioned to exclude offending farmers from Kisan Kalyan Yojana welfare programme if they keep burning stubble, it appears to be limited to paperwork as no decline in stubble burning incidents have been observed till date.

‘We are identifying violators and have issued notices to many farmers,’ SDM Sunil Kumar said. Local farmer Anuraj Singh Rathore urged for an immediate administrative action. He said that the fires threaten both property and lives, degrade soil fertility and harm public health by increasing pollution.