10 sarpanches face heat for failure to stop stubble fires

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, November 15

Ten sarpanches of Yamunanagar district shall face music for their failure to stop stubble burning in the villages falling under their respective gram panchayats.

Deputy Commissioner Girish Arora had recently issued show cause notices to Rajni Devi, sarpanch of gram panchayat Fatehgarh, Gurdev Singh, sarpanch of Saranwa, Ashok Kumar, sarpanch of Naharpur, Komal Rani, sarpanch of Saaran, Randhir Singh, sarpanch of Mandhar, Reeta Devi, sarpanch of Jatheri, Joginder Singh, sarpanch of Kharwan, Dharampal, sarpanch of Ghillaur, Harinder Kaur, sarpanch of Kulpur, and Yuvraj Sharma, sarpanch of gram panchayat Khurdban, for not following directions issued to stop stubble burning.

The notices were issued to the sarpanches of gram panchayats where stubble burning had been going on for the past three years continuously.

Sources said the highest cases of stubble burning (25 cases) were reported from gram panchayat Kharwan, followed by Khurdban with 18 cases, Ghillaur with 17 cases, Saranwa with 16 cases and Mandhar with 14 cases of stubble burning in three years.

Similarly, nine cases were reported from gram panchayat Jatheri, six cases from Saaran, five cases from Fatehgarh and four cases each from Naharpur and gram panchayat Kulpur.

The notices, issued under Section 51 of Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, read that it was the moral duty of the sarpanches to stop the farmers from burning stubble and from spreading air pollution. But they had committed negligence in performing their duties in this regard. The sarpanches were asked to file their reply within one week.

According to information, 102 confirmed cases of stubble burning were reported in Yamunanagar district during the current paddy season.

Farmers have deposited Rs 2,07,500 as fine with Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department, Yamunanagar, in 82 cases of stubble burning. However, the farmers did not deposit fine in 20 cases. The Agriculture Department had written against such farmers to Haryana State Pollution Control Board to get FIRs registered against them. Paddy was sown in 71,000 hectare in Yamunanagar district this year.

The DC said they had issued show cause notices to sarpanches of 10 gram panchayats, where stubble burning had been taking place for past three years.

“We are waiting for their (sarpanches) replies. If reply of any sarpanch is found unsatisfactory, action will be taken against him/her,” said Arora.