Facing heat over farm fires, govt says 3,000 taken to task

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 3

With farm fires in Punjab and Haryana being blamed for high pollution levels in Delhi, the state government today claimed that action had been initiated against as many as 2,923 farmers in 20,729 cases of stubble-burning reported till November 1. The government is hoping to see about 10-20 per cent decline in the number of farm fire cases this year, as a result of its extensive awareness drive.

As against a total of around 49,000 cases of stubble-burning last year, this year the government has so far received reports of 20,729 cases. More than 70 per cent of the paddy has been harvested.

Despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court having stayed the recovery of fine from farmers penalised last year, the state government has intensified its drive against the practice of stubble-burning, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said in a statement on Sunday.

Even as he expressed hope that the Prime Minister would understand and respond positively to his letter on the issue of the worsening Delhi air pollution, Capt Amarinder said his government was fully seized of the matter and was working to put a stop to stubble-burning.

The enforcement teams had, till November 1, visited 11,286 fire sites, and environment compensation amounting to Rs 41.62 lakh had been imposed in 1,585 cases, red entry made in khasra girdawaris in 1,136 cases, and prosecution/FIR filed in 202 cases against the defaulting farmers.

The process of verifying the remaining incidents and levying of environmental compensation was being expedited, said the CM, adding that the Punjab Pollution Control Board had also imposed environmental compensation of Rs 62 lakh on 31 combine harvesters operating without super SMS.