Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], November 5 : Haryana Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana said on Tuesday that 273 FIRs on stubble burning has been registered in the state so far.
He also mentioned that the satellite captured 857 cases of fire, out of which only 458 were agricultural fires.
"According to satellite, 857 cases of fire came to light, out of which only 458 were agricultural fires. 273 FIRs have been registered so far," he said.
He also mentioned that the cases of stubble burning are reducing in the state because of the measures taken by the government.
"Every year, cases of stubble burning are reducing in Haryana because we deploy machines and our administrative machinery also gets to work. The farmers of Haryana believe that the more stubble is used in the fields, the more the yield will increase," Shyam Rana said.
Meanwhile, as the stubble burning continued in the region, a farm leader Lakhwinder Aulakh requested the government to provide good facilities and equipment to the farmers, as it has become a "compulsion of farmers" to burn stubble.
"It is the compulsion of the farmer to burn the stubble. The small farmers, who only have 1 acre, 2 acres, 5 acres, they do not have the required machines, their tractors are smaller. Also, even more of a problem the farmers have to wait for 5-7 days to sell the paddy in the mandis, if one wants to get DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) then even their family is standing on a line to get it for long periods," the farm leader said.
On October 26, farmers also protested against police action taken on farmers due to stubble burning, starting a "chakka jam," and also demanding assured paddy procurement.
The Supreme Court on October 23 criticised the Haryana and Punjab governments for failure to take action against stubble burning in the states and said it is a fundamental right of all citizens to live in a clean and pollution-free environment.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih also took strong exception to the Punjab and Haryana governments for not taking action against individuals for stubble burning and only nominal fines were being collected in some cases.
The bench said that if the Punjab and Haryana governments were genuinely interested in enforcing the law, there would have been at least one prosecution.