MP News: Despite Ban, Stubble-Burning Continues To Plague State; Highest Number Of Cases Recorded In Gwalior Division

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Even as the state government takes various measures to contain stubble-burning cases to protect the environment, incidents of crop residue burning continue to plague Madhya Pradesh.

After the harvest of kharif crops, all divisions recorded fire and crop burning cases, the most being recorded in Gwalior. 

The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board collected the data of stubble burning cases from September 29 to November 1 with the help of satellite images. It took the help of NASA Firms (Fire Information for Resources Management System) to generate the data. 

The Gwalior division recorded the highest of 363 cases. If district-wise data of this division is analysed, then Guna registered 153 cases, Shivpuri logged 86, Datia logged 44, and Gwalior and Ashok Nagar logged 40 cases each. 

The Rewa division also registered a high number of stubble-burning cases. It logged 193 such cases: 152 in Singhrauli, 29 in Satna, 10 in Rewa, and two in Sidhi.

The Chambal division registered the third-highest number of cases at 172. In this division, the Bhind district saw 72 cases, followed by Sheopur at 54 cases, and Morena at 46.

As far as the Bhopal division is concerned, it recorded 134 cases with68 in Sehore district, 38 in Vidisha, 21 in Raisen,four in Rajgarh, and three in Bhopal. 

The Ujjain division recorded 141 cases, followed by Sagar division (122), Jabalpur division (120), and Indore division (126). Among the districts, the least number of cases, at eight, were registered in Shahdol district. 

April ban 

It was in April this year that the state government announced that farmers involved in stubble burning will be debarred from reaping the benefits of welfare schemes for them. Even their crops will not be procured on MSP, and this decision will come into effect from May 1. There is no official data on how many farmers faced action over stubble burning. 

‘Blaming farmers’ 

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh State President Kamal Singh Anjana said that the government fined several farmers for burning the stubble of paddy. However, farmers burn stubble only for 10-15 days, and it generates only 2% smoke.

Pollution by industries and vehicles is far higher, yet it is farmers who are blamed, he said. To eradicate stubble burning incidents, the government must provide adequate resources to farmers, he said.