Stubble burning: Jalandhar admn adopts tough stance

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 24

Adopting a tough stance against the practice of stubble burning, the district administration has imposed an environmental compensation worth Rs 5,000 in two cases after the confirmation report from staff while field visit in five cases is pending for confirmation.

Divulging the details, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said a multi-pronged strategy was being adopted by the authorities to curb such instances ranging from IEC campaign to enforcement drive. So far, 268 fire incidents had been reported in the state, out of which 12 cases were from Jalandhar, the DC said , adding that the field staff had conducted spot visits in seven cases and stubble burning was confirmed only in two cases.

He said environmental compensation of Rs. 2,500 each was imposed against both cases reported from Nagar and Sarnana villages. The DC said physical verification in five cases was pending and environmental compensation would be imposed in case of stubble burning was confirmed in any of the incidents. Thori appealed to the farmers to not resort to stubble burning as smog from the fire could aggravate problems for the asthma patients who were already suffering from compromised immune systems.

The Deputy Commissioner asked officials to keep a tab on farm fire incidents by ensuring physical verification in each case. PPCB Executive Engineer Sukhdev Singh said daily monitoring of farm fire incidents was being ensured through an elaborate mechanism where field officials make physical verification of each incident reported. Besides, awareness activities were being undertaken by the cooperative, agriculture and rural development and panchayat departments.

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#Environment #stubble burning