Punjab witnesses sharp rise in stubble burning cases, 512 incidents recorded so far
PTC News Desk: Punjab has witnessed a sharp rise in the incidents relating to farm fires with total 512 cases been recorded so far, according to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data .
According to the data as of October 23, Amritsar witnessed highest number of cases related to farm fires at 7, followed by Tarn Taran at 5, Sangrur (4), Ferozepur and Mansa three each, both Gurdaspur and Moga (2) and Kapurthala and Patiala one case each, as many farmers continue to ignore government appeals to stop crop residue burning.
Since the window for sowing the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after the paddy harvest in October and November, some farmers resort to burning crop residue to quickly clear their fields. According to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), fines worth ₹11.45 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 226 such cases, of which ₹7.40 lakh has been recovered so far.
The data further revealed that 184 FIRs have been registered during this period under Section 223 (disobedience of order promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — including 61 cases in Tarn Taran and 53 in Amritsar — in connection with stubble-burning incidents.
State authorities have also marked 187 red entries, mostly in Tarn Taran and Amritsar, in land records of farmers who burnt crop residues.
A red entry bars farmers from getting loans against their farmland or selling it.
- PTC NEWS
