Crackdown on Farm Fires: Moga District's Bold Measures

The Moga district administration in Punjab has issued show cause notices to several officials over farm fire incidents. With 87 fires reported, 61 individuals face FIRs, and erring farmers are fined. Efforts to prevent stubble burning are underway, aligning with directives from environmental authorities.

The Moga district administration in Punjab has taken decisive action by issuing show cause notices to several officials, including two sub-divisional magistrates and two station house officers, in response to recent farm fire incidents.

Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal stated that thus far, Moga has witnessed 87 fire incidents, leading to FIRs against 61 individuals and fines totaling Rs 1,72,500 for non-compliant farmers. Sarangal emphasized ongoing efforts to curb stubble burning following paddy harvests, in accordance with the National Green Tribunal and Punjab Pollution Control Board's guidelines.

The strategy involves deploying 146 nodal officers supervised by 23 cluster officers to monitor and prevent fire incidents while raising awareness among farmers. Parallelly, Punjab's Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian confirmed that 21,958 crop residue management machines have been sanctioned, with 14,587 procured this year, reaching a total of 1.45 lakh CRM machines across the state since 2018.

(With inputs from agencies.)