Air pollution: 22 FIRs lodged, 16 Haryana farmers held for stubble burning

Over the past week, authorities in Haryana’s Kaithal registered 22 FIRs and arrested 16 farmers for stubble burning. The farmers have been booked for disobeying a public servant’s order and violations under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. However, soon after the arrests, the accused were released on bail.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Birbhan has confirmed that the FIRs were filed under Section 223A of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 39 of the Air Pollution Act. The government’s crackdown on stubble burning aims to address air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, particularly with the onset of the paddy harvesting season. Air quality in the Delhi-NCR region has plunged into the ‘very poor’ category, with stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab being seen as the primary cause behind the sharp decline in AQI.

Measures to curb stubble burning

In an effort to discourage farmers from burning crop residue, the Haryana agriculture department has implemented strict measures. Earlier this month, the department instructed the registration of FIRs against offenders, while also marking a ‘red entry’ in the e-portal ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’. This red entry could prevent offenders from selling their crops in local mandis for the next two seasons.

Babu Lal, deputy director of agriculture in Kaithal, told India Today that teams have been formed at the block level to educate farmers on the harmful effects of stubble burning and promote the state’s incentives for sustainable crop residue management. Farmers are encouraged to adopt the ex-situ management of crop residue, for which they receive an incentive of Rs 1,000 per acre. Additionally, mobile vans have been deployed to raise awareness throughout the district.

According to Babu Lal, 123 incidents of stubble burning have been reported in Kaithal so far, but only 63 were found to be cases of intentional crop residue burning. A fine totalling Rs 1,57,500 has already been collected from these farmers. He also noted a 60 per cent reduction in stubble burning cases last year compared to previous years.

‘State must compensate farmers’

However, not all are in agreement with the government’s approach. Abhay Chautala, the secretary-general of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), has slammed the directives as ‘anti-farmer’ and ‘dictatorial’. Speaking to The Hindu, he advocated for mixing the crop residue into the soil as a more sustainable solution and urged the government to compensate farmers with Rs 3,000 per acre for this process.

The state’s intensified action on stubble burning comes after chief secretary of Haryana TVSN Prasad instructed local authorities to ensure that the practice is significantly reduced. The core challenge lies in the short timeframe between harvesting and sowing wheat. With limited time to clear fields for the next crop, many farmers view stubble burning as the only feasible option despite government efforts to promote alternative methods.