In a first, 5 Patiala farmers penalised ₹2,500 each for burning stubble
PATIALA: In the first instance of its kind in the state, five farmers have been penalised Rs 2,500 each for burning paddy stubble on land up to 2 acres in violation of orders of the district administration. The administration has issued these orders after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned stubble burning in December 2015.
So far, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has recorded 350 cases of stubble burning in the state this year. The PPCB then sends these images to the DCs for action.
Chairing a meeting of senior officials of civil and police administration on Friday, deputy commissioner Kumar Amit directed officials to implement the ban orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT), related to burning of paddy stubble across the district.
The DC also instructed officials of the department of revenue and rehabilitation to make a red entry in the girdawari register against farmers involved in stubble burning.
Canal patwaris of the irrigation department have been ordered to stop canal water irrigation facility of defaulting farmers.
“Special teams have been formed at the sub-divisional levels in the district, to keep tab on such illegal activities so that stern action can be taken against defaulters,” DC said.
The sub-divisional magstrates (SDMs) have also been directed to report immediately to the district headquarters, if any government employee, who owns agriculture land, is found burning stubble in his respective fields.
DC also directed the mandi board authorities to create awareness on the issue amongst the farmers that come to mandis for selling their produce.
“The farmers, who will not burn paddy stubble, will be honoured for their valuable contribution,” the DC said.
Additional deputy commissioner (general) Poonamdeep Kaur directed tehsil sector officers appointed for paddy procurement to keep an eye on paddy stubble burning incidents too.
BKU BURNS STUBBLE AS PROTEST IN MOGA, SEEK RS 200/QUINTAL BONUS
MOGA: Seeking a compensation of Rs 200 per quintal for not burning paddy stubble, more than 100 farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) burnt paddy stubble in Butter Kalan village, on Friday.
Farmers also passed a resolution in this regard.
In Butter Kalan, farmers burnt over two acres of paddy stubble and passed resolution in at least 10 villages in the district.
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, state general secretary BKU (Ugrahan) said, “To dispose-off stubble in one-acre cost not less than Rs 5,000 to the farmer. How could one afford this expenditure when farmers are already are under financial distress,” he said.
Kokrikalan said that even National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its report has directed the state governments to provide financial help to the farmers to dispose of the stubble but as of now they are not getting any kind of cooperation from the government. “If the government fails to give bonus, we will be forced to burn the stubble,” he said.