Prayagraj dist admin intensifies efforts to prevent stubble burning
For close and constant monitoring, committees have been constituted at different levels -- from district to tehsil.
PRAYAGRAJ: The district administration has made elaborate preparations to prevent air pollution due to stubble burning in the agricultural fields of Prayagraj. For close and constant monitoring, committees have been constituted at different levels -- from district to tehsil -- for the task.
The responsibility of the district-level committee has been entrusted to the additional district magistrate (finance and revenue) Jagdamba Singh. He is also the district nodal officer in charge of all affairs related to natural disasters, said officials. Besides, the sub-divisional magistrate concerned has been appointed the chairman of the tehsil-level committees with the circle officer concerned as its member, they added.
Earlier, there was a guideline for registering FIRs for burning stubble in the fields. This time, the state government has stayed the order. However, heavy fines will be levied on the defaulters. Along with this, farmers who are found burning stubble can also be deprived of government benefits like subsidised seeds and fertilisers etc, the officials said.
Awareness will also be spread among the common man to make them aware of the ill effects of stubble burning and for this, village committees have also been constituted. The tehsildars will issue a show cause notice on the occurrence of a stubble burning incident. Fines will be imposed after three days. In case the land of the farmer is less than two acres, a fine of ₹2,500 per incident and for a land size between two acres and five acres, a fine of ₹5,000 per incident would be levied. In case of land of a farmer found burning stubble is more than five acres, ₹15,000 per incident would be levied, said deputy director (agriculture) VK Sharma. The officer added that teams have been constituted on the instructions of district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri in this regard.
Incidents of stubble burning have happened in trans-Yamuna areas of the district in the past. Over the years, more than a dozen people have been prosecuted for this. Officials say that usually only after November 8, the cases of stubble burning come to the fore in the region as only by then the paddy crop gets dry and its residue is burnt and later, wheat is planted by adding water to the fields.
So far this year, 584 incidents of stubble burning have been reported across Uttar Pradesh, including 187 from Shahjahanpur (against 185 till October 26 last year), 83 from Pilibhit (against 113 in the same period the previous year), 65 from Kheri (against 58), 42 from Rampur (against 52), 24 from Aligarh (against 23), 10 from Mathura (against 59), and 22 from Barabanki (against 24 in the same period last year).
Meanwhile, UP chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, who reviewed the situation at a video conference with officers of various districts on October 24, had given directives for ensuring that the number of stubble-burning incidents do not increase.
