In Ferozepur, officials face action for negligence in checking farm fires

Nine officials have faced stringent disciplinary action in this district for the alleged dereliction of duty with regard to prevention of stubble burning.

Five officials have been prosecuted under Section 14(2) of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act 2021, while four were suspended for not able to perform their duties for the prevention of farm fires.

Case count down 58% this year

• Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma says that due to stringent measures and multipronged strategies adopted this year, there is an overall reduction of 58% in farm fire cases in comparison with the previous year
• Last year, the number of cases till November 2 was 1,186, while it is only 481 this year
• Further, an amount of Rs 5.8 lakh has been recovered as environmental compensation from violators

In addition, Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma has issued notices under Section 14 to 102 officials, including cluster and nodal officials deputed to check the menace of stubble burning.

As per information, an agriculture extension officer, a junior engineer from the Drainage Department and three panchayat secretaries have been prosecuted under the CAQM Act while two officials from the Rural Development Department and one each from the Soil Conservation Department and Cooperative Department have been suspended.

The prosecutions were filed before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) as per the provisions of the Act.

Confirming the same, the DC said the administration had adopted zero tolerance policy for any negligence in duty with regard to prevention of stubble burning. She said due to stringent measures and multipronged strategies adopted this year, there was an overall reduction of 58% in farm fire cases in comparison with the previous year.

“Last year, the number of cases till November 2 was 1,186, while this year, it is 481 only,” said the DC.

As per the assessment of the Agriculture Department, paddy harvesting has been completed in about 72% area in this border district. “The emphasis now is on in situ management of stubble in the fields for which Agriculture Department officers are actively working in the fields to provide the right assistance to farmers,” she said.

The DC said she had been touring villages across subdivisions, adding that 45 cluster officers and 476 nodal officers had been deployed to keep a watch in the district.

“Necessary measures are being taken jointly by both the civil and police authorities. Red entries have been made in the revenue record of 232 farmers for burning stubble,” said the DC, adding that an amount of Rs 5.8 lakh was recovered as environmental compensation from violators.

Meanwhile, the police authorities also continued their tirade against farm fires. SSP Soumya Mishra said till date, 296 FIRs had been registered against erring farmers. As many as 121 FIRs were lodged during the past four days only, she said, adding that 67 special teams were monitoring the situation round the clock.