The Prime Minister of India and all Chief Ministers of states.

Burning stubble in India creates problems for environment, animals, flora and fauna,human beings as well, we all are responsible for spoiling nature and disturbingEco-balance due to our own illegal acts. There are few points to be viewed and necessarydirections may kindly be issued for strict compliance :National Security Act shall be imposed on the offenders, Combine machine be seized andinter District movement of this machine be banned, speed limit be allowed below 10 kmsper hour at the time of registration as well. At present local administration issuedinstructions as per provisions 144 CrPc but not serious to arrest the accused as persection 188 IPC, instead of burning the stalks left after harvest, farmers should use themfor compost and livestock feed. Ban on Combine Harvester Free Movement Inter State in India - Naresh Kadyan

1. Kadyan Naresh Delhi - India, India Haryana’s countryside is burning and nobody seems tocare. Scarred fields speak volumes about the laximplementation of laws and indifferent farmers whocontinue with the banned practice of burning paddy stubblecrop after crop.That the ban has gone up in smoke is evident from the“blackened” fields spread over vast stretches as onetravels into the interiors. where the problem only gets moreacute.A visit by the People for Animals (SPCA) Haryana / OIPAin India team to different parts of Ambala and Kurukshetradistricts revealed that unmindful of the damage to air andsoil, farmers in different villages continue to burn paddyresidue to “save time”.Besides causing air and soil pollution, fields on fire result inthick clouds of smoke, resulting in nuisance for motoristsand even in smog as evening sets in.Burning stubble isbanned under Section 144, CrPC, Inquiries revealed thatthese directives are taken by farmers as “routine ordersevery year”.This probably explains why no action has ever been takenagainst an errant farmer by the administration.“On our part, well before harvesting, we wrote to every DCto ensure that farmers don’t burn paddy stubble and thatthe ban is implemented,” the Director, Agriculture, AnilMalik, said.Officials said the farmers remained uninformed about theill-effects of the burning of the crop residue. Those in the(continues on next page)

Name From Comments

Page 1 - Signature 1

Name From Comments1. Kadyan Naresh Delhi - India, India (continued from previous page)

know of things set their fields on fire in the morning or lateevening to avoid detection. “Further, we have been busywith the assembly elections and have not carried out anychecks in the past few weeks,” explained an official.Despite the damage to the upper soil, considered the fertilelayer comprising micro-nutrients, and the wasting of richorganic stubble, farmers have their own logic for theiraction.They claim that they “light up” their fields every year sinceit saves precious time before the sowing of the next crop,taking only a few hours to get rid of the stubborn stubble.A farmer in Pehowa maintained that though the farmers ofhis area were aware of the ill-affects of burning the stubble,lack of action and the indifference of officials towardserring farmers came as encouragement for the rest. “Whenone farmer burns his field and gets away, the othersfollows suit. If the administration can get cracking and haulup even one farmer, the message will go out to the entirefraternity.”For now, it seems unlikely that the ban will yield any resultson the ground and the ban on burning paddy stubble willremain confined to the files.Burning stubble here in India must be controlled to savethis planet, offenders be booked under National SecurityAct / NSA.

2. AnthonyMontapert

Ventura, CA

3. Sandeep Kumarjain

Ludhiana, India

4. Ruth Rogers Fort Collins, CO Please stop this practice since the normal harvesters canbe used, and it will help the land and the farmers in thelong run. If this is correct, then please stop the unneccsaryburn of the stubble.

5. Pam Boland Grovetown, GA6. eli bennett Seattle, WA7. Anthony Palmieri Fort Collins, CO8. Kamal Anand Sangrur, India9. Sunaina Surve Mumbai, India10. catherine gaspard bruxelles, Belgium11. OIPA INDIA Delhi, India Burning stubble in India creates problems for environment,

animals, flora and fauna, human beings as well, we all areresponsible for spoiling nature and disturbing Eco-balancedue to our own illegal acts. There are few points to beviewed and necessary directions may kindly be issued forstrict compliance :(continues on next page)

Page 2 - Signatures 1 - 11

Name From Comments11. OIPA INDIA Delhi, India (continued from previous page)

National Security Act shall be imposed on the offenders,Combine machine be seized and inter District movement ofthis machine be banned, speed limit be allowed belowbelow 10 kms per hour at the time of registration as well.At present local administration issued instructions as perprovisions 144 CrPc but not serious to arrest the accusedas per section 188 IPC.

12. Sukanya Kadyan Delhi, India Despite a ban by District Magistrate Bhagwant Singh onthe burning of wheat crop stubble, the practice stillcontinues unabated in the rural belt of the district, includingAttari, Ajnala and Majitha, by the farmers unaware of itsharms to environment and health of the general public.A visit to the border villages reveals that the farmers arenot following the ban orders as the method is cheap andquick to dispose of the stubble.Sometimes, the fire lit by farmers reaches outside thefields, causing damage to trees and destroying the floraand fauna.The farmers were least concerned about the degradationof environment. Due to massive air pollution, birds andanimals also perish in such fires. The fertility of land alsodecreases due to heat generated by the fire thatpenetrates into the soil up to 1 cm and thus elevatingtemperatures, says an official of the agriculturedepartment, preferring anonymity.Last year, a major mishap was averted when the stubblefire entered the Amritsar International Airport complex dueto which various flights were diverted or delayed.The seriousness of the district administration regarding theimplementation of the ban orders was quite clear from thefact that as more than a week had passed, not a singlecase has been registered so far in this regard, whilefarmers continue to burn the crop waste.When contacted, Bhagwant Singh said as he and the staffof the district were busy with the election process, theycould not check the menace.The official of the Agriculture Department said instead ofissuing the ban orders, a law should be enacted to curb thepractice effectively just on the lines of the Ground WaterPreservation Act for paddy plantation in order to raise thelevel of groundwater. He said as purchasing or hiring theRotovater to dispose of the stubble by converting it intosmall pieces and mixing with earth which required funds,besides labour, the farmers were preferring to burn thestubble by making use of a single matchstick.Harbhajan Singh, a farmer of Attari, pointed out that thestubble cut into pieces comes up on the surface whileploughing the fields and paddy plantation.(continues on next page)

Page 3 - Signatures 11 - 12

Name From Comments12. Sukanya Kadyan Delhi, India (continued from previous page)

Delhi Public School, situated on the GT Road atMannawala here, has complained to the Divisional ForestOfficer (DFO)that a number of trees planted on the schoolpremises were badly damaged due to burning of stubble inthe fields adjoining the school.Sangeeta Singh, Principal of the school, in the complaintalleged that the burning of stubble in the adjoining fields onthe western side of the school scorched the plants andtress badly. She said when they asked the owner of theland that why had he set stubble in the fields on fire, hedenied having done so and said that some unknownpersons had committed the act.The burning of crop stubble has been banned underSection 144 of the CrPC by the district administration.However, not a single case has been registered even asthe practice continues unabated. The Principal urged theDivisional Forest Officer to take action against thedefaulters after a thorough inquiry into the matter andsuitable compensation be awarded to the school for theloss of trees/plants as a result of illegal burning of wheatstubble in the fields.

13. CAPE India LUDHIANA, India This petition must be updated and subjected to wholeIndia.

14. Abhishek Kadyan Delhi, India Burning of Agricultural WastesHarvest burning creates widespread problemsparticularly related with air pollution. The strawand stubble in the farm is mostly disposed byburning so as to prepare for next crops. However,for the public it is an unmitigated nuisance. Theproblems related with harvest burn are asfollows-• Smoke and general nuisance.• Damage to property.• Threat to wild life.• Effects on human hygiene :i) Smoke causes suffocation and thus breathingproblems and irritation to eyes.ii) Suspended particulate matter like fly ashcauses public nuisance and injury to eyes.Despite these problems, straw and stubbleburning are wide spread in India and is one ofthe burning hurdles. Therefore, it calls forimmediate attention of the Government andpollution control boards to take appropriateaction to control and minimize the problem.Strategies for Control• Harvest survey should be carried out.• Making by-laws for straw burning is(continues on next page)

Page 4 - Signatures 12 - 14

Name From Comments14. Abhishek Kadyan Delhi, India (continued from previous page)

indispensable.• The method of ploughing is straw should beadopted.• Development and exploitation of alternativeuses like straw as animal feed straw inpaper making, chemicals from straw etc. tobe encouraged.

15. Asli Gedik A, Germany16. Filomena Lomba

VianaMelksham-wiltshire,United Kingdom

17. Khadi Federation Delhi - India, India18. Sara Gaspar Lisboa, Portugal19. Hans Lak Eindhoven,

Netherlands20. Liz Duane Tripoli, Libyan Arab

Jamahiriya21. Bill C Kempten, Germany22. Ben van der Werff Voorburg,

Netherlands23. nicolette ludolphi Bremen, Germany24. daniel soulas bordeaux, France25. David N Moore Bridgeport, CT26. sophia dalle nyc, NY27. Judy Penna Holiday, FL28. Kadyan Khap

InternationalJhajjar, India

29. MARIAPAPADOPOULOU

Athens, Greece

30. ChristopherRecupero

Lake Ronkonkoma,NY

31. Al Eastman Chicago, IL32. Jakub Gola Zory, Poland33. Celia M Torres Ypacarai, Paraguay34. Katie/Wendy

Harrington/WilliamsIndianapolis, IN

35. Rafael Pinho ., Portugal36. Kenneth Clayton

WebbGuatemala,Guatemala

37. Linda Dunne Strabane, Ireland38. Natalie Van

LeekwijckHoevenen, Belgium

Page 5 - Signatures 14 - 38

Name From Comments39. Mervi Rantala Tampere, Finland40. mohamd

pourdadashBabol, Iran, IslamicRepublic Of

41. carole hagen Warrenton, OR42. Dinda Evans San Diego, CA43. Timothy Beitel Pitman, NJ44. Kellie Smith Deering, NH45. giancarlo panagia Indianapolis, IN46. Sara sang Las Vegas, NV47. Madan Pal .., India48. Marissa

ChiappettaCape Coral, FL

49. Darlene Davis Garden City, MI50. Kristen Lamb Patchogue, NY51. Denise Lytle Fords, NJ53. Joycey Berry Canton, NC54. Debasis

ChakrabartiKolkata, India Everybody wants to save the Earth; nobody wants to help

Mom with the dishes.- PJ O’Rourke55. forest venkat Madras, India56. DENA HARRIS Woodstock, GA57. Carol Carter Pellston, MI Let', as a world community, work together to stop global

warming. Please stop these practices that contribute toglobal warming and save our planet. It's a simple request.

58. Becky Visco Wimberley, TX59. Carol White Amherst, MA60. Venkatesan

ParthasarathyChennai, India

61. Angie Whiteman Jersey, UnitedKingdom

62. Micki Sievers Virginia Beach, VA63. astecrix Colombi Bs.as, Argentina64. Dalia Hettfield South Gate, CA65. Black Tiger

PetersenVancouver, Canada After seeing the smoke pollution over the Canadian Prairie

Provinces I can understand the need to ban this practice.66. Alejandra Vega Buenos Aires,

Argentina67. dgyps Jack Silverton, OR68. Lisa Grundmann Melbourne, Australia69. Katie Miller G W Univ, DC

Page 6 - Signatures 39 - 69

Name From Comments70. Ms.R. Sverio Topanga, CA71. Jeffrey Allen Toronto, Canada72. JoAnne Perdue Oakland Park, FL73. C. Cassidy Aurora, CO74. Eleni Michaels Campbelltown,

Australia75. Rosie

Phillips-LeaverNewhaven, UnitedKingdom

76. Maria Oniga Medias, Romania77. Arild Warud Ericeira, Portugal78. Ingrid Peeters Torremolinos, Spain79. Maggie Amaya San Benito, TX80. Michael Salmon Christchurch, New

Zealand81. K. Finsterbusch Chemnitz, Germany82. Elainna Crowell Victoria, Canada I urge you to control your country's contribution to pollution

& global warming by stopping the use of combineharvesters and return to the use of ordinary harvesters. Stubble should not be burnt!

83. Kate S Orlando, FL84. chris beal Louth, United

Kingdom85. Evangelia

ManthoyianniAthens, Greece

86. Aliso Smith Las Vegas, NV87. C Million Homestead, FL88. Marion Geromin Ehekirchen, Germany89. Fran Cannon Red Bluff, CA90. Elena Makhova Kiev, Ukraine Please, do not contribute to global warming!91. Laura Tatti Oristano, Italy92. Alessandro

BarracciuOristano, Italy

93. gerold fahrer Calw, Germany94. Cristina Seica Anadia, Portugal95. Apolonia Pi Gdansk, Poland96. michele santos Comerio, Puerto Rico97. Jocelyn

KoopmannKangaroo Flat.Victoria, Australia

I agree, band burning this, they should use it. Don't wastethings when they can be put to good use.

98. Jim Treacy Greenbushes,Australia

Page 7 - Signatures 70 - 98

Name From Comments99. ALPHA WI Freeland, Germany100. Raja Gopal Mysore, India The farmers have to be educated on this properly. But will

our Bureaucracy and political set up allow this? I doubt.101. Anne Thompson Lancashire. England,

United Kingdom102. Pamylle Greinke Peconic, NY103. Margaret Sweeny Paisley, United

Kingdom104. Biljana Nikolic Belgrade, Serbia And

Montenegro105. Ralph Xx Freeland, Germany106. Sheryl Goodwin Old Orchard Beach,

ME107. Naoko Idesawa Tama, Tokyo, Japan And please peducate farmers, promote altermative method

that is easy and affordable.108. NICK DAVIS Toronto, Canada109. Christiane Henker Bad Laer, Germany110. Tristan Taber Ames, IA111. Karen Simmons Gowanstown,

CanadaHave these people not heard of no-till? It is better for thesoil and better for the environment. Enforcement is notenough. There needs to be an education program put inplace to inform croppers of more modern and sustainablepractices.

112. Kat Yazzie El Dorado, KS113. SL VSL Sofia, Bulgaria114. Julie Zserdin Decaturville, TN115. julie jamieson London, United

KingdomFor more impact, add a personal comment here

116. marilyn sass La Mesa, CA117. Marion Young California City, CA118. Jennie Crespo San Juan, PR119. Kelli Stowe Orange Cove, CA120. Mia Huolman Vaasa, Finland121. Ricardo Chappe Buenos Aires,

Argentina122. Red N. Plymouth, United

Kingdom123. Marena Chen Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Page 8 - Signatures 99 - 123

Name From Comments124. ivona Parkaceva Skopje, Macedonia,

The Former YugoslavRepublic Of

125. Margaret Hartley Seattle, WA126. SunKat H. Columbus, OH127. Kari Dyrdahl Mounds View, MN128. Karen Walker Modesto, CA129. Janine

BoguslawskiBrooklyn, NY

130. Rita Kerkhofs Antwerp, Belgium131. Lilith Graves Jacksonville, FL132. Tierney Grinavic Huntingtown, MD133. Carolyn Tonahill Baton Rouge, LA134. Denise Tankha Calcutta, India135. Elvira Summers Nanaimo, Canada136. Angela Yearian Murphysboro, IL137. Gudrun Dennis Gainesville, FL138. Alexandra

Manolesco-AmiDunvegan, Canada

139. KennethAndersen

Sandnes, Norway

140. Biggi Huss Bitburg, Germany141. marjolein bruinen Riga, Latvia142. Kelly Cleveland Denver, CO143. Eleanor Boyd Wishaw, United

Kingdom144. Roxann

ContrenchisNew Orleans, LA

145. Rhonda Maness Horton, AL146. Barb Knight Candler, NC The farmers need to consider all the forest animals and all

the land they are destroying. Stronger mandates need tobe enforced!

148. Gail Costic Bushkill, PA149. B. Buchanan Toronto, Canada150. maria benz Ulm, Germany151. ANDRZEJ

KOPECMelksham, UnitedKingdom

152. Nathalie Girardin Satigny / Geneva,Switzerland

Page 9 - Signatures 124 - 152

Name From Comments153. Hilda Perrett Wetherby, United

Kingdom154. Tawnya Shields Hernando, MS155. Jen Dowdy Paducah, KY156. Nelly Pinasco Lima, Peru157. RoseAnn Stapff Miami, FL Stop this destruction - you are killing all those poor

creatures which you don't have enough.Stop this stupidityand fire all those idiots who have no knowledge ofprotection of the soil.

158. Eureka Morrison Noordhoek, SouthAfrica

It is insane to burn stubble. Give it back to the land! Give itto the animals to eat! In a country where poverty isendemic such waste is criminal!

159. charles mclachlan None, UnitedKingdom

160. MonikaDreher-Hunt

Bisley, UnitedKingdom

161. Brian Guadagno Bayonne, NJ162. Barbara West Boulder City, NV163. liz casey Pembroke, Canada164. Gemma

HollingsworthPenguin, Australia

165. Wendy Yukihiro Kent, WA166. Gorilly Girl Oklahoma City, OK167. Lucy Chetcuti Sydney, Australia168. Ginger Geronimo Birmingham, AL169. Susan Dumas Abingdon, United

KingdomAction should be taken against farmers who burn stubble--what is the point of laws if they are not enforced? Also,maybe there is a market for the stubble-- animal fodder?animal bedding? maybe the farmers could just plough itback into the soil as a green manure? If there is no use atall for the stubble, then at least there should be large fineswhich will make farmers re-consider the cost of alternativemeans of disposal.

170. Anne Kirkwood Braden River, FL171. Vanditta Diwakar Suva, Fiji172. Nyack Clancy Manhattan, NY173. Lady Flo Sweden, Sweden174. Mike Kowalchuk Ganges, Canada175. Panda Eats

BankersPlymouth, UnitedKingdom

Please offer farmers incentives NOT to burn stubble ..andtake harsh measures against those who continue to burnstubble..even after incentives have been brought in..a bit(continues on next page)

Page 10 - Signatures 153 - 175

Name From Comments175. Panda Eats

BankersPlymouth, UnitedKingdom

(continued from previous page)of carrot and a bit of stick can work wonders in changingbehaviours.

176. Laura Horning Westlake, OH177. Lyhann

O'ShaughnessyMexico, Mexico

178. Edith Suarez Mexico, Mexico179. Sheila Gredzinski Atglen, PA180. Debbie Logue Climax, GA181. Dr. RC Sihag Hisar, India182. David tsosie Phoenix, AZ183. Deepak Joshi New Delhi, India184. Alexandra

DouglasPeiraias, Greece

185. Pam Hayes Maroochydore,Australia

Think ahead a little further than tomorrow.

186. Irma Paulme Q.c., Philippines187. Elitsa Borisova Pernik, Bulgaria188. Julie van Niekerk Grasland Ten Acres,

South AfricaDear India, this is disappointing to see you harm yourenvironment. Ghandi was this wonderful and wise man.What will he say if he could see this damage you do.

189. Lilith Diamond Bertinoro, Italy190. Christina Lander Woodbridge, CT191. Marta Barahona

SanchezMadrid, Spain

192. Leslie Blanchard San Marcos, TX193. Charlie Hogue Cedar Rapids, IA194. Tannu Yadav General Electric, CA195. Sylvain Parreaux Paris, France196. Lynne

KoenigsbergBoca Raton, FL

197. WinefredMarcellin

Amsterdam,Netherlands

198. Carole Wesley England, UnitedKingdom

199. Anne Padilla Santa Fe, NM200. Christina Truog Ostermundigen,

Switzerland201. Cynthia Davis Pulaski, VA

Page 11 - Signatures 175 - 201

Name From Comments202. Darling Diaz

OrtegaMonteria, Colombia

203. mary foley Cork, Ireland204. Sally Tinkham Gilford, NH205. KRISTEN

BREITWEGCitrus Springs, FL THIS MUST STOP NOW...

206. Philippe Ducreux Loyettes, France207. Mary Hockett Decatur, AL208. Lisa Koehl Brooklyn, CT Please offer farmers incentives NOT to burn stubble ..and

take harsh measures against those who continue to burnstubble..even after incentives have been brought in..a bitof carrot and a bit of stick can work wonders in changingbehaviors.

209. Sinikka D. Jarvenpaa, Finland210. WarriorForPeace

TsalagiCache, OK

211. Debby Stephan Grand Blanc, MI212. Valerie

HildebrandWinnipeg, Canada

213. Hazel Seymour Saskatoon, Canada214. Jennifer Gardner Melbourne, FL215. Charlene McCann Elmira, NY216. Phyllis Pleasants Richmond, VA217. Jason Bowman Sacramento, CA218. Mick Gill Mackay, Australia219. Laura Elena Doltu Bucharest, Romania220. Carl Rosenstock Baraboo, WI221. Shoshana Simon San Bernardino, CA222. carlo lopez Velletri, Italy223. Songbird

BergstromWake Forest, NC I agree with Naresh 100%

224. Audra Raulinaitis Romeoville, IL225. Ma Anton Rome, NY226. Jae Matos Austin, TX227. Pauline Fuit Waikiki, Australia India needs to be educated in many ways.228. Maddie Burke El Segundo, CA229. Josephia Tania Surabaya, Indonesia230. Alice Diane East Amwell, NJ231. Saagar shetty mumbai, India

Page 12 - Signatures 202 - 231

Name From Comments232. Susan Hall -

AmadoDugald, Canada

233. anne romanow Chicago, IL234. Jennifer Kilgore Pine Bluff, AR235. Elisa Minakis Toronto, Canada236. B. Mioduski Oakmont, PA Plant trees for life.......................237. Linda Bescript Tucson, AZ It's time we start rethinking our damaging actions.238. Sharief Baker Mysore, India I agree with you Naresh.239. Charming King Bangalore, India240. Ruth S. Kiel, Germany241. Marc Rubin Hamilton Square, NJ244. Birdie Beep Dallas, TX245. Melissa Conrad South Jordan, UT246. Sandra

WilliamsonFort Collins, CO

247. Eli Is Here Kittanning, PA248. Lisa Shaw Calgary, Canada249. Sandy Gilbert Cupertino, CA250. Ana Maria

CarvalhoGuaratinguet�, Brazil

251. Ruth Bescript Tucson, AZ There was no forethought put into this.252. Anja MM Aachen, Germany253. Maya Kasabov Fort Collins, CO254. Molly Mnld Sa, Antarctica255. Erin Reese Houston, TX256. Samantha Trosky Berwyn, IL257. Candy LeBlanc Sacramento, CA258. Keri Singleton Ironwood, MI259. Brad Miller Anthony, KS260. JennyLynn

WernerTempe, AZ We must protect and preserve what we have left while we

still can. Our children and grandchildren will know what we were willing to do, and not willing to do, for them.

261. Teri Johnson Cookeville, TN262. Jaime

Cammarata, RDPhiladelphia, PA

263. philippe dawance Seraing, Belgium264. MARTI RUSSICK Wyandotte, MI265. Amit Jadhav Nottingham, United

Kingdom

Page 13 - Signatures 232 - 265

Name From Comments266. Judith Akins Lavonia, GA267. Nadera Abdul

AzizKampong Ubi,Singapore

268. diana arikane Co Cork, Ireland269. david bequeaith Davenport, IA270. Terrie Williams Vidor, TX271. Barbara Campbell Vidor, TX272. Jonathan

StephensonLyndeborough, NH

273. Cherida Hivale New Delhi, India274. Carina Eriksson Billesholm, Sweden275. Robert Redmon Dayton, OH276. gail dair Perth, Australia277. Kathy Chadwell Lafayette, IN278. Carrie Vogan Lexington, TN279. Laura Rodrigues Matosinhos, Portugal280. Olivia Holak Luce, France281. Ralf Arno Wess Frankfurt Am Main,

Germany282. Lallu Prashad Rohtak, India283. Christofer

JauneauLa Chapelle EnServal, France

284. Paritosh Pandey Bangalore, India285. Barbara Tatti Orbassano, Italy286. Richard Hollister Tucson, AZ287. Mrs M. Clifton Park, NY288. Rolf Stuber Männedorf,

Switzerland

Page 14 - Signatures 266 - 288