No let-up in farm fires, Kaithal worst-hit district

With paddy harvest picking up the pace, stubble-burning cases are also increasing across the state. Haryana recorded 11 fresh cases on Sunday, taking the total number of cases of active fire locations (AFLs) to 653, higher than the cases reported during the last season till October 20 when the state recorded 621, said a data of the satellite.

With 127 AFLs reported through satellite, Kaithal is at the top across the state, followed by Kurukshetra (91), Ambala (74), Karnal (68), Jind (49), Fatehabad (40), Sonepat (40), Faridabad (30), Panipat (28), Palwal (26), Yamunanagar (24), Hisar (19), Sirsa (16), Panchkula (14), and others.

To check the farm fire incidents, the Kaithal administration has registered 11 FIRs so far. The authorities also claimed that out of the total reported AFLs, they have not found 40 incidents. “We have imposed a fine of Rs 1.57 lakh on the farmers violating the norms. As many as 11 FIRs have already been registered against such farmers,” said Dr Vivek Bharti, Deputy Commissioner, Kaithal.

While holding a meeting of the officials, he directed them to check stubble burning cases promptly. “We will take strict action against the officials found negligent in detecting and curbing the stubble burning cases,” the DC asserted. He further said they constituted the village-level, block-level, sub-division level and district-level committees to check stubble-burning cases. “We are making all-out efforts to check stubble burning cases,” he added.