 "stubble burning")
This year, Punjab has reported 93 incidents of farm fires, while last year’s cumulative total was over 36,000.
Farmers have criticised the Punjab government’s plan to introduce “red entries” in the land records of cultivators caught burning paddy stubble in the state. They argue that the move is a “pressure tactic” they will not succumb to.
A ‘red entry’ prohibits affected individuals from selling or mortgaging their land, or accessing farm loans. Criticising the Bhagwant Mann government, farmers’ organisations have accused it of “reneging on earlier promises.”
What are farmers saying?
Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan, told Hindustan Times: “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently assured us that private biogas plants would collect stubble from paddy fields and pay farmers Rs 3,000 per acre… Instead, government officials are issuing threats.”
Stubble burning has been a major issue in Punjab and Haryana, becoming a political flashpoint every winter. The practice involves setting fire to the remaining straw or plant residue left in fields after harvest, which significantly contributes to air pollution.
Punjab government’s measures to curb stubble burning
Amritsar deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney told Hindustan Times that some measures have been taken, including collecting compensation of around Rs 50,000 from 29 non-compliant farmers.
The administration has also cancelled the arms licences of these farmers and is now in the process of marking red entries. ‘Red entry’ landowners are banned from owning gun licences.
The Punjab government has attempted to implement these measures over the past two years but eventually reversed its decisions. This year, Punjab has reported 93 incidents of farm fires, while last year’s cumulative total was over 36,000.
To address this crisis, the Centre has been involved in the Crop Residue Management project. According to an official press release from July, Punjab witnessed a 37 per cent decline in farm fires in 2023, with 36,663 incidents. Haryana recorded 2,303 cases in the same year.
First Published: Sep 26 2024 | 12:22 PM IST
