Patiala : Punjab The Pollution Control Board (PPCB) is finding it difficult to curb incidents of farm fires. Though it has imposed Environment Compensation (EC) on the violators, the district level authorities have failed to recover it.
On Wednesday, over 2,512 cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab, taking the season tally to 20,433. There were 3,001 fire incidents in the state on Tuesday, the highest ever.
The state’s environmental authorities had recorded 17,921 fire incidents till Tuesday. The sub-divisional teams had visited 519 sites within 48 hours. PPCB has imposed environmental compensation on violators in 1,062 cases. Compensation is yet to be paid in 526 cases. Out of the total fine of Rs 28.97 lakh imposed this season, only Rs 7,500 has been recovered.
In Amritsar district, authorities have imposed a fine of Rs 8.72 lakh in 343 cases. A fine of Rs 7.95 lakh has been imposed as environmental compensation in 318 cases of stubble burning in Tarn Taran. The Rs 7,500 collected as fine is in Tarn Taran district. In Patiala, a fine of Rs 6.2 has been imposed on violators in 159 cases. In Ludhiana, Rs 1.45 lakh has been imposed as compensation in 58 cases.
No compensation has been imposed in Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Firozpur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Muktsar, SBS Nagar, Pathankot, Ropar and Malerkotla districts so far, despite stubble burning cases being recorded by PRSC.
This year, the state government had appointed around 8,000 nodal officers to check stubble burning. Sources said the team of nodal officers does not visit farm fire sites at the ground level or even consult farmers to meet and motivate them. He said that the inspection teams also go late to the burning places. “The fire incidents reported by the PRSC website should be looked into within 48 hours. After burning the stubble, farmers plow their fields to burn the crop residue after a day or two. The DC should recover the compensation,” said a PPCB official.
On Wednesday, over 2,512 cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab, taking the season tally to 20,433. There were 3,001 fire incidents in the state on Tuesday, the highest ever.
The state’s environmental authorities had recorded 17,921 fire incidents till Tuesday. The sub-divisional teams had visited 519 sites within 48 hours. PPCB has imposed environmental compensation on violators in 1,062 cases. Compensation is yet to be paid in 526 cases. Out of the total fine of Rs 28.97 lakh imposed this season, only Rs 7,500 has been recovered.
In Amritsar district, authorities have imposed a fine of Rs 8.72 lakh in 343 cases. A fine of Rs 7.95 lakh has been imposed as environmental compensation in 318 cases of stubble burning in Tarn Taran. The Rs 7,500 collected as fine is in Tarn Taran district. In Patiala, a fine of Rs 6.2 has been imposed on violators in 159 cases. In Ludhiana, Rs 1.45 lakh has been imposed as compensation in 58 cases.
No compensation has been imposed in Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Firozpur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Muktsar, SBS Nagar, Pathankot, Ropar and Malerkotla districts so far, despite stubble burning cases being recorded by PRSC.
This year, the state government had appointed around 8,000 nodal officers to check stubble burning. Sources said the team of nodal officers does not visit farm fire sites at the ground level or even consult farmers to meet and motivate them. He said that the inspection teams also go late to the burning places. “The fire incidents reported by the PRSC website should be looked into within 48 hours. After burning the stubble, farmers plow their fields to burn the crop residue after a day or two. The DC should recover the compensation,” said a PPCB official.
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