NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday appealed to the neighbouring states to use the “highly cost-effective” bio-decomposer to resolve the stubble problem. “Earlier, when we had talked about managing the paddy stubble, it seemed expensive to buy the required machinery. Now that the bio-decomposer has been developed, I can say that we have found a very cost-effective solution,” said Kejriwal while inspecting the project site where the Pusa bio-decomposer solution is being prepared.
The project site, along with the Pusa Institute at Kharkhari Nahar in outer Delhi, is preparing the solution in large batches for spraying in more than 4,000 acres of farmland. The Pusa bio-decomposer solution is being prepared in collaboration with ICAR-Pusa at the Horticulture Department Nursery, Kharkhari Nahar for the entire Delhi. Wherever the demand for sprinkling arises, the solution will be provided from Kharkhari Nahar. All over Delhi, spraying will be done free of cost by the Delhi government.
“The cost — from preparation to spraying of the bio-decomposer — comes under Rs 1,000 per acre. The Delhi government is bearing the entire cost of the solution throughout Delhi. It is our appeal to other state governments to follow suit and help their farmers,” added Kejriwal. This year the AAP government has initiated the process of preparing the solution for early distribution to ensure timely decomposition of the crop residue. Stubble burning is a major cause of air pollution during winter in the city.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai, who was present at the project site, had earlier said that issuing challans and similar measures didn’t work in achieving the goal in the past and hence the government is not in favour of penalising the farmers who burn the stubble.