There is no let up in farm-fire incidents in the state as farmers continue to burn stubble. Punjab on Tuesday reported eight farm fire incidents taking the total count to 70. Of this, Amritsar alone reported 42 cases followed by Patiala with eight farm fire incidents.
Meanwhile, 26 cases were such where no crop burning took place but the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) had reported the cases. This was discovered in the action-taken report by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). In Amritsar, 19 cases out of the total 42 reported by PRSC have been found to be “false”.
The PSRC shares the report on farm fires to the PPCB, and then it is shared with deputy commissioners. Thereafter, a sub-divisional team, already constituted, visits the location of the farm fire. This exercise of physical verification has to be carried out within 24 hours of the reporting of farm fires.
A senior IAS officer, pleading anonymity, said, “We have already informed the PPCB and other stakeholder departments that many reported farm fire incidents are not found on the ground. We have shared photographs and videos to the officials concerned that no farm fire has been reported on the shared location.”
When asked about the anomaly, a senior official of the PPCB, said, “These are minor incidents and are already in our notice. Efforts are being made to improve this.”
{{/usCountry}}When asked about the anomaly, a senior official of the PPCB, said, “These are minor incidents and are already in our notice. Efforts are being made to improve this.”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the Punjab Police have registered 20 FIRs against farmers for burning stubble so far this season.
Of these, 16 have been registered in Amritsar alone, which has reported the highest cases of stubble burning so far. The farmers have been booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) which is disobedience to an order duly promulgated by the public servant. However, no arrests have been made so far.