Farmers could be fined up to Rs 30,000 for stubble burning

A farmer burns stubble in Punjab in November. File pic/PTI

The Centre has doubled the fine for farmers burning crop residue in view of the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, the penalty going up to Rs 30,000 for those with more than five acres of farmland.

According to the notification, which was published on Wednesday and comes following the Supreme Court's tough stance on the issue, farmers with less than two acres of land will now have to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 2,500. And those with land between two and five acres will be fined Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000.

Unfavourable meteorological conditions combined with vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during late autumn and winters.

According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee analysis, the city experiences peak pollution from November 1 to 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.

Studies estimate that during peak burning periods, farm fires contribute up to 30 per cent of PM levels in the Delhi-NCR region and surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, farmer bodies in Punjab strongly condemned the Centre's move of raising fines and asked why the government was not providing crop residue management machinery to them to check farm fires.

Nov 1-15
Period stubble burning incidents were at highest

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