236 farmers fined in 4 Malwa dists
BATHINDA : The teams of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the agriculture department have so far imposed penalties on 236 farmers for stubble burning in four districts of Malwa region — Muktsar, Bathinda, Moga and Mansa.
As many as 108 farmers in Muktsar, 75 in Bathinda, 34 in Moga and 19 in Mansa have been slapped with fines.
In Bathinda, 1,109 farm fires were spotted till Wednesday and 348 cases have been registered so far. Mansa has so far witnessed 1,044 farm fires and Muktsar 989.
Bathinda deputy commissioner (DC) B Srinivasan said the number of farm fire incidents has come down in the district this year as compared to previous years. He said a meeting of revenue officials has been scheduled on Friday to start making red entries in the revenue record of farmers indulging in stubble burning.
In Moga, officials imposed penalties on 20 erring farmers on Thursday. Earlier this week, 14 farmers were issued challans for stubble burning.
Deputy commissioner Sandeep Hans said that apart from issuing challans, the district administration is getting registered FIRs under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the
Indian Penal Code (IPC) against farmers for using reapers and combines with an intention to burn the paddy residue.
₹4 LAKH FINE ON TWO COMBINE OPERATORS
SANGRUR The district administration has imposed Rs 2 lakh fine each on two combine operators for using machines without super straw management system (Super SMS) at Ladda village of Dhuri subdivision. Deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori on Thursday ordered the police to impound both the combines.
Kewal Singh of Kularan village of Patiala and Balkar Singh of Lander Peerzada village of Kaithal district in Haryana were found operating combines without functional Super SMS at Ladda. These combines will not be released till their owners deposit the fine with the PPCB,” said Thori. He added, “In a bid to save the environment from hazardous gases produced due to stubble burning, no combine harvester is allowed to operate without the Super SMS fitted on it.”