Stubble burning: Two farmers booked in Kapurthala

With the onset of the paddy harvesting season in the region, cases of stubble burning are being reported in Kapurthala . The police registered FIRs against two farmers for burning stubble, at the Sultanpur Lodhi and Kabirpur police stations on Wednesday.

The action came amid a comprehensive awareness campaign launched by the district administration of Kapurthala with an aim to curb the cases of stubble burning. Along with this, the administration authorities said strict action had also been initiated against those setting fields on fire during the paddy harvesting season.

While Sultanpur Lodhi is first such region to have reported stubble fires in the region, 16 cases of stubble fire had been reported in Kapurthala — most of them from Sultanpur Lodhi until Wednesday evening. In Jalandhar, seven cases of stubble fire have been reported in the past one week. The paddy harvesting has been relatively delayed in Jalandhar, where many farmers said the paddy was still green.

Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said farmers were being familiarised with the ill effects of stubble burning. He said on Wednesday, teams led by Sultanpur Lodhi SDM Aparna visited the villages of Chak Kotla, Sanchan, Shalapur Dona, Deepewal, Dadwindi and Shatabgarh.

The DC said around 32 balers were being run in the district that were making bales of straw and using those as fuel in boiler units. Similarly, fines ranging from Rs 2,500 to 15,000 had been imposed in the cases of stubble burning, he said.

Officials of the district administration have been asked to daily visit at least 10 villages to encourage farmers to avoid stubble burning by making proper use of the machinery provided on subsidy for crop residue management in Kapurthala.

The administration has been urging farmers to properly use the subsidised machinery provided by the Punjab Government and dispose of the stubble in the fields instead of burning it as it will not only improve the health of the soil but also protect the environment from pollution.