Stay on imposition of fine on Punjab, Hry farmers burning stubble to continue
Punjab and Haryana high court, on Friday, refused to vacate the stay imposed on Punjab and Haryana governments on the imposition of fines on farmers for stubble burning. During the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), both the state governments had vehemently argued for vacating the stay to deal with the menace. The court, however, refused to vacate the stay, and asked both the governments to take all possible steps, except fining the farmers to avoid environmental degradation that stubble burning causes.
On September 19, a singlejudge bench of justice RN Raina had imposed the stay while referring to a 2017 petition to the chief justice to consider it as a PIL. After that hearing it was taken up for the first time by the high court. The petition was filed by Bharti Kisan Union, a Ludhiana-based pressure group, seeking directions for adequate compensation per acre to the farmers.
During the hearing on Friday, the court quizzed the petitioner’s lawyer, Charan Pal Singh Bagri, asking him why the matter should not be taken up by the National Green Tribunal. However, later it agreed to take up the petition. The court also observed as to why the problem of stubble burning was being witnessed in some northern states, but not in southern India.
During the hearing, additional solicitor general, Satya Pal Jain, who appeared for the Centre, told the court that ₹1,000 crore had been earmarked by the Union government, under various schemes to deal with the problem of stubble burning.
The bench of chief justice Ravi Shanker Jha and justice Rajiv Sharma has asked Punjab and Haryana to file responses on measures taken to deal with the problem of stubble burning and posted the matter for Nov 25.