Delhi-NCR pollution: Farm fires due to failure of 4 state govts, says NHRC

After hearing the responses of the chief secretaries of Delhi and three neighbouring states on the pollution issue, the NHRC on Saturday said farmers are burning stubble "under compulsion" and it is due to the "failure" of the four state governments that stubble burning is happening.

Alarmed over the rise in pollution in Delhi-NCR, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had recently asked the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to appear before it on November 10 to discuss the matter.

The Commission, after considering the responses of the states concerned and the government of Delhi, and the deliberations thereon, is of the opinion that the "farmers are burning stubble under compulsion," the NHRC said in a statement on Saturday.

"The state governments have to provide harvest machines to get rid of those stubble, but they have failed to provide an adequate number of requisite machines and other measures; as a result, farmers are forced to burn the stubble, causing pollution.

"Therefore, none of the states can blame the farmers for stubble burning; instead, it is due to the failure of all four state Governments that the stubble burning is happening in the states of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and UP, causing enormous pollutants in the air," it said.

The Commission has asked the chief secretaries concerned to remain present again either in person or hybrid mode on November 18 for the next hearing on the matter, and submit prior of this, their response or affidavits "within four days positively" on the points raised by it, among others, during the deliberations and considerations of their responses, the statement said.