Thick smog , no end to farm fires

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, November 1

Even as the state government has been taking several steps to stop burning of paddy straw, farmers continue to dispose of the residue in field fires in various districts of the state, vitiating the air quality.

Official sources said the district administration had initiated a process to register FIRs against the farmers who are violating the law to ban straw-burning. The district administration has assigned regions to officials to carry out inspection.

The sources revealed that 44 incidents of fire have been reported by officials since October 8. Police complaints have been filed in seven of these incidents while the process to initiate action is underway in many other cases. The air quality index of Hisar town today was 412 points, which is “hazardous” for the environment. A thick layer of smog engulfed the town this evening.