700 Stubble Burning Cases Reported in Punjab, CM Says No FIRs To Be Filed Against Farmers

Seven hundred cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab this year. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has informed all officials that no FIRs should be filed against farmers. 

Punjab's Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has said that around 700 cases of stubble-burning incidents were reported in the state so far this year. In the previous years, around 2,500 cases were reported for the same period, he added according to ANI.

"This year 700 incidents of stubble burning reported so far as compared to over 2,500 incidents during the same time in previous years. I had spoken to 'Jathedar' of Shri Akal Takht Sahib for his intervention by issuing an appeal to farmers to not burn stubble," Dhaliwal was quoted by ANI.

He said that the chief minister of the state, Bhagwant Mann had meetings with farmers to discuss the issue. He told ANI, that all officials have been informed not to file FIRs against farmers and that they believe farmers will avoid burning stubble. He said that the stubble will instead become an extra source of income for the farmers. 

"We are constantly trying to that the stubble should not be burnt at least in Punjab. All the officials have been told that there will be no FIR against the farmers. But we believe that the farmers will avoid stubble burning. We are also working in the direction to ensure stubble becomes an additional source of income for the farmers in the coming days".

According to the report, last week, Bhagwant Mann said that the state government is working on bailing out farmers from any sort of natural calamity and efforts are being taken for paddy straw management. The CM during a meeting with the farmers at Punjab Bhawan said the government will leave no stone unturned for this cause and that it is making an all-out effort for paddy straw management. 

"The farmers should support the state government for this noble cause by not burning the paddy straw. It is the need of the hour for protecting the environment of the state," said CM Mann. 

From September to November, farmers remove paddy crop residue from the land by burning it. This is usually required in areas that use the combined harvesting method. During these months, along with vehicular pollution, the air quality index in the Delhi-NCR region deteriorates dramatically. 

Last month, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar called upon the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi to strive for achieving zero stubble burning very shortly. He further promised all central help to achieve this goal. 

Tomar had said, Rs 600 crore was already provided to the States this financial year and they have an unspent amount of Rs 300 Crore, which should be utilized properly. Moreover, about 2 lakh machines have been made available to the States.

He said that the state and central government should jointly evolve long-term planning and must undertake multi-pronged activities to achieve the target of Zero Stubble Burning within a specified time frame.