Earlier, Punjab and Haryana had taken strong steps, including heavy penalty and ploughing of fields, in case of early transplanting of paddy by the farmers. However, both state governments may be wary of taking any harsh step against farmers this time with Lok Sabha elections a few months away.
Government has issued instructions to the deputy commissioners to penalise the defaulters by imposing Section 144 of IPC in case farmers burn the stubble to clear their fields. However, there are no reports of punitive action taken against any farmer in both states.
The state government is sitting over a proposed draft of the Act that was prepared to make burning of any kind of crop residue, including paddy straw, a legal offence. Considering the quantum of air pollution and thick smog caused by the burning of nearly 23 million tonnes paddy straw after harvest in the state, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) had in 2011 prepared and submitted a draft proposing legal ban on burning of paddy straw, revealed sources.
"The draft was prepared when Kahan Singh Pannu was heading the board. It was proposed that power connections for the agricultural pumpsets of those farmers, who would be caught burning crop residue, would be snapped for six months," said a senior PPCB officer.
"The idea of power disconnection was considered effective compared to other measures," he added.
Kahan Singh Pannu, now serving as special secretary (agriculture), said, "We are examining the draft and deliberating how we can proceed further."
Charanjit Singh, scientific officer (air laboratory), PPCB, claimed the board had spent around Rs 52 lakh to highlight harmful effects of straw burning in the past four years.
Meanwhile, senior scientific advisor of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), S C Mann told TOI that they have filed cases against 32 farmers in the courts for stubble burning in past two years.
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