Agri Dept issues notices to 61 Yamunanagar farmers

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, June 16

Deputy Director Agriculture, Yamunanagar, today issued notices to 61 farmers of the district, who transplanted saathi dhaan variety of paddy, for violating the Haryana Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009.

The Act restricts farmers to sow nursery of paddy before May 15 and to transplant paddy before June 15. Sources said the farmers, who were issued notices, had sown the nursery and then transplanted paddy in about 150 acres in violation of the Act.

Issuing notices under Section 7 (3) of the Act, the farmers were asked to keep their side on June 19. Earlier too, the Agriculture Department had issued notices to said farmers under various Sections of the Act for sowing nursery and then transplanting paddy.

Sources said the Agriculture Department may impose a penalty of Rs 10,000 per acre or ask the farmers to destroy their paddy crop on their own.

“In case a farmer does not act as per the directions of the authorised officer given under Section 5, the authorised officer shall cause such nursery of paddy or transplanted paddy, as the case may be, to be destroyed at the expense of such farmer,” as per the Act.

The Act further states, “The authorised officer, either suo motu or on the information brought to his notice regarding the violation of any provision of this Act, shall direct the farmer, who has violated any provision of the Act with regard to destroying the nursery of paddy, sown or transplanted before the notified dates.”

The Haryana Government had enacted the said Act in 2009 to save water as 3,000 litres of water is required to produce a kilogram of rice.

Deputy Director Agriculture, Yamunanagar, Aditya Pratap Dabas said the notices were issued to farmers for violating the Haryana Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009 and action would be taken as per the provisions of the Act.