NEW DELHI: Northern states are working on concrete steps to prevent large¬scale crop burning that shrouds Delhi in a pall of black smoke and raises air pollution to a level that creates a health emergency and prompts people to wear surgical masks. Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh — which have the country's most fertile fields —have initiated steps to discourage the low¬cost but polluting farm practice and discussed the matter in a recent meeting between farm ministers of states and the Centre where strategies for the summer¬sown kharif crop were discussed. The situation was so bad late last year that the Capital was referred to as a gas chamber by health experts, forcing authorities to declare holidays for schools and ask people to stay indoors. For farmers, burning the remnants from the previous crop is an easy and cheap option while preparing the fields to plant wheat, rice, pulses and sugarcane. With no alternatives to offer, authorities had mostly failed to convince them from stopping the age¬old practice. The states have now sought subsidies from the Centre to procure machinery to gather crop remnants, as well as financial support to incentivise farmers to adopt modern residue management systems. Officials have also vowed to create awareness among farmers and enforce rules that prevent open burning of farm waste.

"We have sought an assistance of Rs 1,600 crore from the Centre to buy machineries for farmers. Also, we have requested for Rs 350 crore to compensate farmers whose cost of cultivation increases in case of manual stubble harvest and another Rs 500 crore for diversification of crops." Punjab will also focus on strict enforcement of rules. The state's pollution control board will take action against farmers who don't follow rules against burning of waste. The penalty will be Rs 2,500 for two acres of land, Bains said. "The transport department will not register new Combine harvesters — which harvest both wheat and rice — till it has an attachment of super straw management system to uniformly keep the loose straw," he added. In Punjab, more than half of the 37 million tonnes of the rice and wheat residues it produces every year are burnt, according to the agriculture ministry. In Uttar Pradesh, the agriculture department is preparing a proposal seeking enhanced subsidy to procure machines that will help reduce farm wastes. "We will submit our proposal to the Centre by first week of May," said AK Bihnoi, director at the state's agriculture department. With a limited window between harvesting and planting of crops, open field burning of rice, pulses, sugarcane and wheat stubble was the norm, but it is changing because of increasing awareness about pollution, he said. Haryana, too, is seeking similar subsidies. "Collectively, various departments are working to ensure that farmers do not burn stubble. We will have to incentivise farmers for adoption of various residue management operations," said Suresh Gahlawat, additional director of Haryana's agriculture department. Devinder Sharma, an independent food and trade analyst based in Chandigarh, doesn't see any need for a central subsidy for such steps. "The only solution is that combine harvester manufacturers should make farm machines which enable chopping the plant stem from the base, and bundle the straw like a bailer does," he said.