Tarn Taran admn stops filing FIRs, imposing fines
Only two farmers booked and 78 challaned for burning stubble in the district this year; but pollution control board recorded 1,200 cases
TARNTARAN: Stubble burning continues in the fields of the border district everyday. Despite this, the district administration has stopped filing first information reports (FIRs) and imposing fine on the defaulters, putting aside the Punjab Pollution Control Board’s (PPCB) directions.
Most harvested paddy fields in the district have turned black due to the ash from straw being burnt. Some farmers, after burning stubble, grow potatoes or peas in between the wheat-paddy cycle. Sowing these crops has already started at a few places.
Chief agriculture officer (CAO) Dr Partap Singh said that they have booked two farmers of the district, besides imposing fine on 78 peasants, for burning the crop residue.
As per PPCB’s geospatial data for this year, 1,200 stubble burning cases were recorded in the district, which is less than last year’s record of 1,700 cases.
The CAO said that following the directions of the state government, fines will be imposed on the remaining farmers soon. As per sources, in the past seven days, the administration has stopped imposing fines and registering FIRs against the farmers who are burning paddy stubble.
However, the CAO said that a significant dip was noticed in the number of stubble burning cases in the district.
This is because of the administration’s efforts to make farmers aware about its harmful effects, he claimed. “In 2016, around 65% paddy-growers burnt the straw. And we are expecting the figure to go down to 50% this year,” he said.
“Earlier, when we used to harvest manually, we would cut the crop in such a way that we were able to make stubble bundles, to be used as fodder or to sell to cardboard-making factories. But now, with the use of combines, the remaining stubble is of no use,” said Manbir Singh, a farmer of Khadoor Sahib sub-division.
Another farmer, Satbir Singh, said that the labour, for cutting crop manually is around ₹4,000 per acre and takes around three to four hours. But combines cost ₹1,200 per acre harvest the crop on one acre in half-an-hour, thus being cheaper and time-saving.
A farmer of Kadgill village in Tarn Taran, on condition of anonymity, said that he wants to grow potato in a day or two, but it is impossible if he doesn’t burn the stubble first. “The officials take decisions without knowing ground realities. If government wants us to stop burning stubble, they should provide an alternate,” he said.