Stubble burning cases: 43 officials issued show-cause notice in Sangrur, Barnala dists

A total of 43 cluster officials have been issued show-cause notices for failing to control farm fires within their jurisdictions. In the last few days, Sangrur, the home district of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, has seen an uptick in farm fire cases. Of the 1,418 farm fires cases in the state so far, Sangrur has reported 218, second-highest in the state.

Officials across the districts of Sangrur and Barnala are facing administrative action as authorities crack down on the rising number of stubble burning incidents.

Officials across the districts of Sangrur and Barnala are facing administrative action as authorities crack down on the rising number of stubble burning incidents. (HT Photo)

A total of 43 cluster officials have been issued show-cause notices for failing to control farm fires within their jurisdictions. In the last few days, Sangrur, the home district of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, has seen an uptick in farm fire cases. Of the 1,418 farm fires cases in the state so far, Sangrur has reported 218, second-highest in the state.

Last year, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), which monitors stubble burning from September 15 to November 30, had recorded a total of 10,909 farm fire cases in the state, with Sangrur topping the chart with 1,725 incidents.

Sangrur administration has issued show-cause notices to three cluster officials from the Sunam area. An official who pleaded anonymity said the action was a direct response to the high number of farm fire incidents reported. Data from the PPCB revealed that Sangrur recorded 48 stubble burning cases on Thursday, a decrease from the season’s highest spike of 79 cases reported just the day before.

PPCB executive engineer Rohit Singla said that a total of 37 farmers have been fined ₹1.85 lakh — ₹5,000 for burning on less than two acres, ₹10,000 for up to five acres (2 to 5), and ₹30,000 for burning on more than five acres.