Kejriwal seeks meeting with Javadekar to eliminate stubble burning

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar, seeking a meeting to discuss a solution to the problem of stubble burning developed by scientists of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) which uses a chemical.

“I am writing this letter seeking an appointment on the issue stubble burning, as the problem is likely to increase in coming days. A few days back, we came in contact with IARI scientists, who have come up with a solution to tackle this issue,” Kejriwal wrote.

He said, “They have come up with a chemical that helps in diluting the stubble and converts it into compost. Farmers won’t have to burn their stubble. As per scientists, when the crop is burnt, useful germs also get destroyed in the soil, reducing its production capability. However, if this chemical is used, then the use of fertiliser will go down and the productive usage of the soil will also increase.”

“I feel it will be a good solution to tackle the issue of stubble burning. There is no doubt that the Centre and state governments are working on the issue.

However, the governments are stressing on the cutting of crops with the help of machinery. Even as the Centre is offering huge subsidy, farmers are forced to spend money from their own pockets. They are also forced to spend money on the cutting of crops. Because of this, many farmers continue to burn stubble instead of buying machines. However, the solution by IARI will help in reducing the burden on farmers. If one takes into account the use of less fertiliser and greater production, this could be useful for them,” he added.

The CM further wrote, “This year we will use this technique in Delhi and will see that there is no stubble burning in the national capital.”