Eight farm fire incidents were reported on Sunday, taking the total count to 90. Of this total, 51 cases have been reported from Amritsar alone. Amritsar is followed by Tarn Taran with 11 cases.
Punjab Police, on Sunday, registered three FIRs, thereby taking the total count to 49 cases registered against the farmers for burning stubble this season.
Of the total 49 FIRs, 24 have been registered in Amritsar. 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.
Along with this, the Punjab government has already marked 32 red entries in the land records of violators. A red entry ensures that the erring farmers will not be able to take a loan against their farmland, and also, they can’t sell or mortgage their land.
The Punjab government has also imposed a total of 2.25 lakh in environmental compensation against the violators in 22 cases. Of this, ₹1.75 lakh has already been recovered from the farmers.
Reacting to the punitive measures, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The recent statistics and studies show that farmers’ contribution to pollution was less than 6%. Despite this, courts and governments are putting the entire blame on the farmers and are imposing harsh fines and punishments on them.”
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the punitive measures, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The recent statistics and studies show that farmers’ contribution to pollution was less than 6%. Despite this, courts and governments are putting the entire blame on the farmers and are imposing harsh fines and punishments on them.”
{{/usCountry}}He added that on the other hand, the government has given huge relaxations to the industries in relevant laws and even removed clauses carrying jail sentences. “We demand that farmers should be provided at least ₹6,000 per acre as support for stubble management so that the issue can be resolved at the ground level,” Pandher added.