Crop Fire Crackdown Hits Green Farms Too

Probe ordered as many Punjab officials are penalising innocent farmers on the basis of satellite images of mere smoke

- Manjeet Sehgal

AJAY Sood, his brother Anoop Sood and the rest of the family in Punjab’s Moga have been booked for burning paddy stubble in their fields, a practice the Supreme Court wants stopped to address the rising air pollution crisis in Delhi and elsewhere in north India.

“But the action was taken on the basis of satellite images that captured only smoke over our fields, while the farm waste was burnt somewhere else. I filed a complaint against that person but the administration booked my entire family. The case against us should be dropped and the person responsible for stubble burning should be booked,” Sood said.

The Soods are not the only complainants. A Mail Today ground report from Punjab has exposed how a sweeping crackdown on crop stubble burning is singing many innocent farmers.

In a tearing hurry, some officials are penalising farmers on the basis of images of mere smoke captured over their fields by satellites, while the fire raged on in adjoining fields.

Some of those who are yet to harvest are also getting notices. Even the dead or those settled elsewhere have been put on notice!

Harbant Singh, Pal Singh, Gurmail Singh and Gurpal Singh of Lohgarh village, who are yet to harvest their paddy crop, have also been issued challans for burning paddy stubble on similar evidence.

Two farmers -- Jarnail Singh of Kore Wala Khurd village and Gulwant Singh of Sadda Singhwala village -- died sometime back but they have been made accused.