Stubble burning crackdown: 6 farmers booked in Faridkot, fines in Ludhiana
To stop stubble burning in Punjab, cases have been registered against six farmers in Faridkot, while fines have been imposed in Ludhiana.
Administrative action has been intensified to prevent the burning of paddy residue across Punjab. In various police stations of Faridkot district, cases have been registered against six cultivators on charges of setting stubble on fire, while the process of imposing fines and making red entries in land records has begun in Ludhiana.
Giving information about Ludhiana district, Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Gurdeep Singh Johal clarified that 27 incidents of setting fields on fire have been recorded in the area so far. For violating the rules, an environmental compensation of Rs 25,000 has been imposed on two farmers, while red entries have already been recorded in the revenue records of five landowners.
According to Dr. Johal, employees of the agriculture department are motivating farmers in villages to manage the residue using modern methods. He said that compared to previous years, stubble burning cases are much fewer this time, but no laxity will be shown against those violating instructions.
On the other hand, Faridkot SSP Gurbans Singh Bains stated that police cases have been registered against six farmers in the district on charges of setting fields on fire. Nothing has yet been proved in court. He urged landowners to dispose of stubble using modern machines instead of burning it, to prevent damage to the environment and soil fertility.
Meanwhile, in Gurdaspur district too, the administration has started inspecting fields. Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Shehbaz Singh Cheema stated that a joint team of police and civil officials visited Kahnuwan, Dhariwal, Qadian, and Batala areas and extinguished fires in fields on the spot.
Under the leadership of Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal, a total of 1,647 tools including 118 rake balers and 1,430 super seeders have been provided to farmers for stubble management, so that timely sowing of wheat can be completed without smoke.
Key developments
- Police cases registered against six farmers in Faridkot over stubble burning
- Two farmers fined Rs 25,000 and red entries in records of five in Ludhiana
- 27 incidents of fire reported in Ludhiana district so far
- Agriculture officials reached the spot and extinguished field fires in Gurdaspur
