The Punjab Government has taken innovative steps to tackle stubble burning, which causes air pollution.
Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, Varinder Sharma, said, "The Punjab Government has distributed BF machines free of cost to farmers so that they do not have to burn crop residue. Last year, we had distributed more than 4,000 machines with 50 per cent subsidy to the farmers to check stubble burning."
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"We have imposed Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), under which legal action will be taken if a farmer sets he stubble on fire. But we believe that the farmers will cooperate with the government and the public to prevent severe air pollution," he added.
On strict action taken by the state government on setting stubble on fire, Jasmeet Singh, a farmer, said, "If we will not receive any support from the government then we are left with no option, but to burn stubble."
Earlier, to check the menace of stubble burning, the Punjab Government had on September 19 announced that it would appoint 8,500 nodal officers for the current paddy growing villages, identified as hotspots, where stubble was being traditionally put on fire.
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