-National Herald
Until a few years ago, when farmers in Punjab burnt the remnants of the rice crops in their fields in preparation for sowing wheat, the smoke from such fires was confined to Punjab. The delay in burning stubble is why Delhi is enveloped in smoke today.
Earlier, the smoke was confined to Punjab. According to a report in The Sunday Guardian, the delay in burning stubble is due to pressure from Punjab government on farmers for corporate gains.
Punjab government passed the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act in 2009. According to this law, farmers have to stop sowing rice in April and have to wait until June-mid to do so. Haryana has also copied Punjab and passed a similar law. Between sowing, germination, and harvest, rice has a 4-month period and the restraint on germination of the grains meant that the crops would now be harvested and cleared only in October, by which time the course of the wind changes.
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