Farm fires: Year on, no action in sight despite SC order

Aman Sood

Tribune news service

Patiala, November 15

Despite the Supreme Court asking northern states, including Punjab, to help farmers in managing stubble and act against the violators along with the government spending crores on awareness and machinery last year, more than 67,500 farm fires have been reported in the state this season so far.

Annual plan Needed

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We have done our best to control farm fires, but farmers are reluctant for various reasons. Hopefully, the season will end this week, but we need to ensure an annual strategy to control this practice. — Karunesh Garg, PPCB Member Secretary

On Monday, the SC again asked the states to persuade farmers not to burn the stubble to curb pollution.

Even after a year, Punjab has failed to collect fines from the erring farmers, who were booked immediately post the SC order. Against Rs 6.10 crore penalties imposed in the past three years, merely a few lakhs has been collected to date. The whole exercise of levying penalties and registering FIRs has turned out to be mere eyewash with no farmer being asked to deposit fines.

Following the SC order in 2020, thousands of FIRs were registered against erring violators in haste and due to the knee-jerk reaction, the authorities even made red entries into the land records of the farmers. “However, as no fines were collected from a majority of the defaulters, most of the farmers again resorted to stubble burning this season. The government needs to be serious and not bow to pressure tactics by farm unions. Either compensate the farmers or ensure that they don’t create pollution,” said a senior police official.

On Sunday, as against a few farm fires reported in 2020, the state reported 2,541 cases. Experts, however, suggest that this was the last week before the farm fires end, with only a few villages per district in the Malwa belt left with their stubble in fields.

Sources within the government confirmed that it was high time that the state officials think out of the ordinary and put an end to farm fires, given that political will was missing. “Every season, the government spends crores. Despite, wasting over Rs 200 crore on machinery and awareness drives, farm fires continue to bother residents and also add to Delhi pollution. The government and officers need to work closely to curb pollution every season,” they added.