The Haryana agriculture and farmers welfare department on Tuesday suspended 24 officials amid a rising number of stubble burning incidents across the state. This comes a day before the chief secretary of the state is set to be appear before the Supreme Court (on Wednesday) in connection with a case related to “failure” to take effective action over stubble burning.

The officials, ranging from agricultural development officers (ADOs) to agriculture supervisors, have been placed under suspension on administrative grounds, people aware of the matter said.

Haryana on Tuesday recorded 10 farm fire cases, an increase from the two cases recorded the previous day. This took the total number of stubble burning cases in the state to 665.

Among the suspended officials are two each from Panipat, Jind, Karnal and Sonepat; three each in Hisar, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Ambala; while four officials are posted in Kurukshetra district. The terms and conditions of the suspension will be issued later.

The decision comes as part of the state government’s intensified measures to curb environmental and health hazards posed by stubble burning.

“The action has been taken on the basis of recommendations received from deputy commissioners and deputy directors of agriculture,” Rajnarayan Kaushik, director of the agriculture department, said, adding that stubble burning cases were on the rise in the jurisdiction of these officials.

According to Haryana agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana, as many as 3,000 FIRs pertaining to farm fires have been registered in the state. Speaking to reporters at Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh, the cabinet minister said the state government has been taking steps to control air pollution and that 24 officials have been suspended in connection with stubble burning cases in their area. “Stubble should not be burnt...burning stubble, even under any compulsion, is incorrect,” Rana said, pointing out that the issue is being publicised as if farmers alone are causing pollution.

“What are the reasons for pollution in Delhi? A densely populated city will have more pollution. How many airports are there? How much construction work is taking place there? At least 28 nullahs (in Delhi) are flowing into Yamuna, pollution is because of that also,” Rana said.

“AAP is ruling Delhi and Punjab, but it will not say anything to its party-ruled dispensation in Punjab,” he added.

The state government’s action comes after the Supreme Court had last week pulled up the Punjab and Haryana governments for their “failure” to take effective action against stubble burning, highlighting that criminal prosecution had not been initiated against a single farmer in either state.

The court also ordered penal action against officials of the two states for breaching CAQM orders, and summoned the two chief secretaries to appear before it on October 23 and explain why no stringent action was taken either against the offending farmers or officials who failed to carry out the prosecution.

Source - https://www.hindustantimes.com