14 Haryana farmers arrested for burning stubble after Supreme Court rap

The Haryana agriculture department has suspended 24 officers and employees of various districts for failing to curb stubble burning incidents.

In Short

• Government suspends 24 officers for failing to curb stubble burning cases
• Farmers being arrested in stubble burning cases registered last year
• Stubble burning leads to rise in pollution levels in Delhi

After being rapped by the Supreme Court for failing to take action against farmers burning crop residue, resulting in air pollution in neighbouring Delhi, Haryana has arrested 14 farmers in Kaithal district. Additionally, the agriculture department has suspended 24 officers and employees of various districts for failing to curb stubble burning incidents.

During the onset of winter, burning of crop residue in Haryana and Punjab is seen as one of the major factors contributing to the rise in pollution levels in Delhi.

Senior Kaithal police officer Birbhan said police have also started arresting farmers in stubble burning cases registered last year. In 2023, 270 cases of stubble burning were reported in Kaithal district, out of which FIRs were registered against 72 farmers. However, no one has been arrested in these cases till date.

"Police station in-charges have been instructed to make arrests in the pending cases of last year in their respective jurisdictions," the police officer said.

Deputy director of the agriculture department, Babu Lal, said 123 cases of stubble burning have been reported in the district. Out of these, stubble burning was not found in 40 cases and fire was found due to short circuit in two places. A fine of Rs 1,57,500 has been collected from 63 farmers so far, he said.

The stringent action against violators came after Haryana chief secretary TVSN Prasad on Sunday directed deputy commissioners to ensure stubble-burning incidents were effectively curtailed.

Meanwhile, the farmers said the administration was filing FIRs against those engaging in stubble burning, but their concerns remain unaddressed. "The administration is penalising us, but no one is listening to our problems," a farmer said.

At the centre of the issue is the tight window between harvesting and sowing wheat. Farmers must clear their fields quickly to meet the sowing deadline. However, straw management practices delay field clearance. Thus, farmers resort to stubble burning as it is the only viable option to clear fields swiftly.