As many as nine FIRs have been registered against 12 farmers in Karnal district for allegedly burning wheat stubble during the ongoing Rabi season, said Dr Wazir Singh, Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA), Karnal.
He informed this to the Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma during a crop residue management and farm fire incidents’ review meeting held at the conference hall of the Mini Secretariat on Wednesday.
During the meeting, DC Sharma directed officials to strictly enforce the ban on stubble burning and ensure awareness campaigns are carried out in every village. He emphasised that tehsildars and BDPOs should organise public announcements to educate farmers, while SDMs must visit fire sites with enforcement teams to investigate causes and take appropriate action.
DDA Dr Singh said that as many as 172 incidents of stubble burning have been reported in the district so far. Of these, 130 were found to be accidental (due to short circuits or unknown reasons), 24 did not involve fire, 2 occurred in forest areas, and 7 are still under investigation.
In nine cases, deliberate burning was confirmed, leading to FIRs against 14 farmers under Section 39 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and Section 223(A) of the BNS.
Two FIRs have been registered in Gharaunda block involving five accused, while five FIRs have been registered in Assandh against five farmers, one FIR in Nissing police station against one farmer, and one FIR at Jundla against one person.
Apart from the registration of the FIRs, a fine of Rs 40,000 has been imposed on all accused, and 172 “red entries” have been made in the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal records, prohibiting the farmers from selling their crops at MSP for the next two years, said Singh.
Accompanied by SP Narender Bijarniya, the DC appealed to farmers to refrain from burning crop residue and adopt proper management practices, stressing that strict compliance with the Air Pollution Control Act provisions is mandatory across Haryana.
