Chandigarh. Amid rising pollution levels in the national capital Delhi and surrounding areas, 18 farmers have been arrested in Kaithal district of Haryana in the last few days for burning stubble in the fields. A police officer gave this information on Monday. Stubble burning in Haryana and neighboring Punjab is often blamed for increasing pollution levels in Delhi, especially during the post-harvest months of October and November.
A police officer said, “In the last few days, 18 farmers were arrested for burning stubble but were later released on bail as this offense is bailable.” Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) of Kaithal district in Haryana, Birbhan, said that cases have been registered under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and other relevant provisions of the law for stubble burning.
Recently, FIRs have been registered for stubble burning in some other districts including Panipat, Yamunanagar and Ambala. Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad on Sunday directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that incidents of stubble burning are effectively curbed. The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the governments of Haryana and Punjab for not prosecuting violators in stubble burning cases.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to take punitive action against Haryana and Punjab government officials for failing to take action against the violators.
Farmers burn paddy stubble to clear their fields for sowing of Rabi crop wheat, as the period between harvesting and sowing is very short. Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda and Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja had recently demanded that the government fix the minimum support price (MSP) for stubble and purchase it from farmers.