Admn initiates prosecution against nodal officer, 47 put on notice
Acting tough not only against violators but also the enforcement machinery, the district administration has initiated prosecution proceedings against a nodal/ supervisory officer while 47 other officials have been put on notice for their failure to check farm fires in different parts of Ludhiana during the current Kharif (paddy harvesting) season.
Even as the stubble burning incidents continue to remain lowest so far, the district administration has filed prosecution under Section 14 of the CAQM Act against a nodal/ supervisory officer while 47 other nodal/ supervisory officers have been issued warning/ show-cause notices, Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal told The Tribune on Wednesday.
He said Section 14 of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act, 2021, addresses penalties for violating the Act, rules, orders or directions issued by the commission.
“Any violation of the Act is punishable by a fine of up to Rs 1 crore, imprisonment for up to five years, or both,” Jorwal said while stating that the offence was non-cognisable, which means the jurisdictional Judicial Magistrate of the First Class could only take cognisance of the offence if the Commission or an authorised officer files a complaint.
However, provisions of this section do not apply to farmers, who cause air pollution by stubble burning or mismanagement of agricultural residue.
He said besides filing prosecution, departmental action had also been recommended against a nodal/ supervisory officer, who was responsible for enforcing the Act but failed to check the violation of the CAQM Act.
Another 47 nodal/ supervisory officers have been warned and asked to show cause on why prosecution proceedings should not be initiated against them as well for failing to check stubble burning incidents in their respective jurisdictions.
The DC shared that 65 FIRs under Section 223 of the BNS had been lodged against erring farmers, 42 red entries had been made in the revenue records of the violators and Rs 1.2 lakh environmental compensation had been imposed so far on peasants who had set their farms on fire, of which Rs 1 lakh had already been recovered.
With 10 fresh cases of farm fire reported in the district on November 5, as many as 124 stubble burning cases had been recorded in the district this season so far.
It was almost 15 per cent of 818 fire events spotted in the district during the corresponding period in 2023 and around 9 per cent of 1,357 farm fires recorded here till November 5 in 2022.
Experts, however, said the incidents of farm fires were yet to pick up in the district as almost 40 per cent paddy was yet to be harvested.
The Agriculture Department said around 60 per cent of the total 2.57 lakh hectares paddy area was yet to be harvested in Ludhiana.
Meanwhile, the district administration had identified as many as 30 hotspots of stubble burning across five blocks in Ludhiana district this season.
Jorwal said the hotspots had been marked on the basis of farm-fire incidents reported during the past year and number of crop residue management machineries available at the identified physical locations in Ludhiana.
With 2.57 lakh hectares, which is equivalent to 6.35 lakh acres, under paddy cultivation, the maximum in the state, Ludhiana district will generate 16.53 lakh tonnes of paddy straw at the rate of 6.43 tonne per hectare.
The DC said as many as 8,223 machines of 13 different types had been made available to manage stubble in 969 villages spread across 11 blocks in the district.
30 hotspots
Administration has identified 30 hotspots of stubble burning across five blocks in Ludhiana district this season. These are Rasulpur, Malha, Hathur, Bassian, Manuke, Kaonke Kalan, Dahlla, Chhajjawal, Lohat Baddi, Jalaldiwal, Nathowal, Roomi, Kamal Pura, Jhordan, Swadai Kalan, Hans Kalan, Rashin, Dhoorkot, Galib Kalan, Barde Ke, Lakha, Gobindgarh, Kalsian, Abbupura, Chiman, Akhara, Chak Bhaika, Johlan, Talwandi Rai and Sahouli.
