Centre doubling fines for stubble burning adds fuel to fire, challans to touch Rs 30K

Chandigarh: Farmer bodies in Punjab on Thursday strongly condemned the Centre’s move of raising fines for stubble burning and asked why the government was not providing crop residue management machinery to them to check farm fires.

The Centre has doubled the fine for farmers burning crop residue in view of the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, with the penalty going up to Rs 30,000 for those with more than five acres of farmland.

According to a notification published on Wednesday following the Supreme Court’s tough stance on the issue, farmers with less than two acres of land will now have to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 2,500. And those with land between two and five acres will be fined Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000.

Reacting to the union government’s move, farmers’ unions pointed out that farmers never want to set the crop residue on fire but they are forced to do so for want of required machinery.

They also said why farmers are always being “targeted” for pollution, asking the government about any action taken against the industry for polluting the environment.

Punjab has reported 5,041 farm fires during September 15 and November 6, registering more than 70 percent decline in such cases as compared to corresponding period last year.

Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan slammed the Centre for its “anti-farmer” move of increasing fine on farmers.

“We strongly condemn this decision,” Kokrikalan told PTI.

He said the Union government was trying to increase pressure on farmers through such “tactics.”

“Those farmers who have crop residue management machinery did not burn stubble at all,” he pointed out.

Farmers are compelled to set the paddy straw on fire as they do not have the required machinery, he said.

“They do not have any option, that is they burn it,” he said.

Slamming the Centre for doubling the fine, Kokrikalan said, “Even if they raise it by 10 times, we will not pay it.”

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the Centre’s move to hike fine is highly condemnable.

He said only 30 per cent crop residue management machinery has been provided to farmers.