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Stubble burning: SAD asks Captain not to enforce ban

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday asked the new Congress government not to ride rough shod over farmers to enforce  ban…

Stubble burning: SAD asks Captain not to enforce ban

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday asked the new Congress government not to ride rough shod over farmers to enforce  ban on stubble burning.

Expressing serious concern over the alleged "dictatorial attitude of the Congress government which was using civil and police machinery to impose penalties on farmers", SAD spokesman Maheshinder Singh Grewal said instead broad base the distribution of straw balers besides providing other economically viable alternatives to farmers to stop this practice effectively.

“Famers rightfully are looking at the new government to give them viable alternatives so that they don’t resort to stubble burning. Instead of doing this and broad basing the distribution of straw balers and happy seeders which was started two years back by the SAD-BJP government, the new government is using force to stop this practice,” he said.

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Asking the government to convince farmers defying the current wheat stubble ban through a consensus, the Akali spokesman said the government should also reflect why farmers were protesting against it so soon after government formation.

“The basic issue is lack of trust in the new Congress government. Farmers are feeling betrayed by the Congress party which had promised to waive off all farmer loans immediately after coming into power," Grewal said.

He said instead of doing this the new government is forming committees to delay implementation of this promise.

"This has not only led to resentment amongst the farming community but also resulted in a spike in suicide cases. The government must step in immediately to fulfill all promises made to farmers failing which the situation is likely to
worsen,” the SAD spokesman added.

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