Panchkula administration forms teams to check stubble burning

PANCHKULA/MOHALI: Panchkula administration has formed various teams of officers to ensure there are no cases of stubble burning. The move follows orders from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).



Panchkula DC Kumar said, “The issue of stubble burning is serious. The administration will take stern action against those found indulging in the practice.”

To check burning of wheat residue, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), in the year 2017, imposed a fine of Rs 1.7 lakh on farmers in 198 cases of fire. In 2018, a fine of Rs 2,500 was imposed as 29 cases of fire have been reported from Mohali district till now.

In the Tricity, most cases of stubble burning are reported from Mohali, while a few cases are reported from Panchkula district. Both Punjab and Haryana governments are looking into alternative methods of using stubble.

Governments of both states also provide various equipment to farmers at subsidized rates to cut stubble instead of burning it. PPCB chairman K S Pannu said, “Dealing with stubble is a continuous process and more efforts are needed to establish a system under which farmers give up burning of crop residue. This can be done by providing farmers with the means of converting crop residue into a source of income.”

According to the agriculture department of Mohali, stubble burning is a major problem in the Dera Bassi block, which has 22,000 hectares of land, out of which paddy is grown on 12,000 hectares and basmati or vegetables are grown over the rest.