50% of Mohali’s fields under stubble burning: Admn survey

As many as 35 farmers have been fined Rs 90,000 in the past one month.

Rapid response teams and village-level nodal officers appointed to monitor stubble burning in the district have found that 50% of the total fields in Mohali are under stubble burning, while 35 farmers have been fined to the tune of Rs 90,000 for the offence.

The survey teams found that around 25,800 hectares of land was under paddy cultivation, which is expected to result in 1.29 lakh quintals of crop residue. (HT File Photo)

Through a survey carried out over the past month, the teams found that around 25,800 hectares of land was under paddy cultivation, which is expected to result in 1.29 lakh quintals of crop residue.

“The survey teams detected stubble burning at 53 sites and another 56 with no violation. Till October 20, we have imposed environmental penalty of Rs 90,000 on 35 farmers found burning stubble in their fields,” deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan said.

Besides, 54 FIRs have also been lodged. While one case was registered under Section 39 of the AIR (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, another 53 were under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.

The rapid response teams have been trained to use ATR mobile app to share action taken on the spot. Response time is fixed and it is mandatory for every officer to update action taken within the stipulated period.

A total of 1,700 stubble management machines are available in the district. These can be sourced on rent through 67 cooperative societies and 29 custom hiring centres. Besides, there are 75 combines with the super straw management system and 4,000 harrows for stubble management.