Farmers seek dismissal of stubble burning cases

JALANDHAR: Farmers have demanded withdrawals of FIRs registered against them for burning stubble. They said the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Supreme Court had issued instructions that farmers should not be completely held responsible for burning stubble in fields.

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 8

Farmers have demanded withdrawals of FIRs registered against them for burning stubble. They said the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Supreme Court had issued instructions that farmers should not be completely held responsible for burning stubble in fields.

The farmers under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Kadian questioned that if the government had not been able to provide them compensation and equipment to deal with stubble, why were criminal cases registered against them? They added that hefty fines are also being recovered from them.

Amreek Singh, district president of the BKU Kadian, said, “Around 70 farmers have booked in the region for stubble burning this year. Punjab Pollution Control Board officials in the district are imposing hefty fines on farmers against NGT guidelines.”

Mentioning the NGT order, he said, “Every state has been given directions to provide machines and equipment to the farmers so as to ensure that agricultural residue is stored and managed in an eco-friendly manner. However, no such equipment is provided to the farmers, who were booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Machines, including happy seeder, should be provided free of cost to the farmers having two acres or more, but less than five acres.”

He appealed to the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP (Rural) to ensure that the NGT orders are partially followed. He added that the Agriculture Department should also be held responsible for not adhering to the NGT guidelines.

Apart from pending sugarcane dues, the BKU members demanded that the compensation should be directly transferred into the accounts of farmers. They threatened to hold a protest on December 25 if their demands were not met.

Advocate Charan Pal Singh Bagri, who is the lawyer of farmers booked for stubble burning, said, “According to the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders, issued on September 19, 2019, none of the farmers can be charged with any kind of fine for burning the agricultural residues. The court has also clarified that no authority, including the NGT and administrative officials, can recover fines from farmers in the name of environmental compensation.”