NEW DELHI: Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said the government wants to make the city a “role model” in tackling air pollution so that the other states can make no excuses for avoiding stubble burning.
Pointing out the good response to spraying “Pusa biodecomposer” solution to prevent stubble burning, Rai said around 1,200 farmers have registered with the government to avail the facility. He said the government providing the solution free of cost.
“We want to make Delhi a role model so that the other states can make no excuses for avoiding stubble burning. The work has started and nearly 1,200 farmers have already registered their names,” said the environment minister.
Rai accompanied Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other officials at Kharkhari Nahar village to review the bio-decomposer process.
“When there is an alternative available ‘ all those who seriously want to reduce pollution should use this,” he said.
The solution being prepared at Kharkhari Nahar will be enough for around 1,300 farmers in Delhi, Rai said. The minister said farm fires in neighbouring states contribute up to 44 per cent of Delhi’s pollution during the harvesting season. Asked if the method will be implemented in other states as well, Rai said it depended on their will to do it.
“We have already appealed to them to implement it. If we can set up a centralised system for it in Delhi, they can do it too,” he said. Delhi has around 700 hectares of paddy fields. According to the government, the process of preparing the solution goes on for about seven days, which has begun.