Punjab farm fire cases rolled back

NEW DELHI: The Punjab government has said it will not act against farmers who set fire to their paddy fields this season, rolling back a key sanction imposed to quell stubble blazes in the agrarian state that led to a massive pollution spike in the

Capital during the winter harvest, as it buckled to pressure from cultivators who were protesting against the penalty.

According to a notification issued by Punjab’s chief secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua on Thursday night, state authorities will rescind “red entries” marked in the land records of over 4,300 farmers in the state from September 15 to November 14.

A red entry disallowed a farmer from being able to take a loan against the plot, mortgage it or sell it. To be sure, the rule, when in place, failed to significantly dissuade farmers from setting their fields afire.

Punjab agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the state is “committed to withdrawing action against farmers”.