Stubble-burning: Punjab rapped

The Punjab Government today cut a sorry figure before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the issue of  stubble-burning with the tribunal directing the state counsel to list “concrete” steps it intended to take to tackle the menace on the next hearing date (October 11).

Fearing a reprimand, top functionaries of the state Agriculture Department did not attend the hearing.

The only proposal listed by the department today was selecting Kallar Majri village near Patiala for a pilot project under which the farmers would be paid an incentive of Rs 1,000 per acre for not burning stubble.

BKU chief Balbir Singh Rajewal questioned the government proposals, arguing that these were ornamental. “How will the state replicate this project in over 12,500 villages given the fiscal stress?” he asked.

He pointed out that the farmers needed to clear the paddy straw in their fields for sowing wheat. “What about the farmers who have to grow vegetables? The window given to them for clearing the fields has been too small,” he contended. Pointing out that debt-ridden farmers of Punjab were resorting to suicide, he argued how then could small and marginal farmers be expected to spend lakhs on buying costly Conservation Agriculture (CA) implements.

The tribunal directed the Punjab Government to present its case afresh, with cutoff dates for the implementation of measures to stop stubble-burning and the finances arranged for the same on the next date of hearing on October 11. “If need be, the help of the BKU chief may be sought,” the court observed.

Advocate IG Kapila, appearing for the farmers, told the tribunal the Punjab Government had adopted a “selective approach” and that farmers were being harassed with hefty fines under the pretext of the NGT order. The NGT had earlier taken Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan to task for not submitting action plans to prevent the pollution emanating from stubble-burning.

Fixing the penalty per incident of crop burning (small landowner Rs 2,500, medium Rs 5,000 and big Rs 15,000), it had directed these states to take coercive and punitive action against persistent defaulters and to withdraw assistance to such farmers.

Honeypreet not in our custody, nor being shielded in any way: Punjab

The Punjab government has categorically rejected reports that Honeypreet Insan was in Punjab Police custody or was, in any way, being shielded by the state government.

Refuting reports on the social media to the contrary, a Punjab government spokesperson said the state was not involved in the case beyond supporting the Haryana police with intelligence and other relevant inputs.

There was no question of the Punjab Police taking Honeypreet into custody as there was no criminal case registered against her in the state, nor was she in any wanted list, said the spokesperson.

The Punjab government, particularly the police and intelligence departments, were merely providing inputs to the neighbouring state in the interest of justice and to maintain law & order in the region, according to the spokesperson.

Finding no doctor to treat injured, people lock up Sangrur hospital

Finding no doctors to treat the three injured students of a private school after the bus hit a roadside tree, residents of Kohriya on Thursday locked up their Community Health Centre and raised slogans against the Sangrur Civil Surgeon and Punjab government. According to information, a bus of Sunam Millennium School hit a roadside tree between Kohriya and Chhahar while it was going back to Sunam with three students from Kohriyan. Mehakpreet, a student, suffered a fracture in his leg while two others received minor injuries. When the injured were taken to Kohriya hospital, there was no doctor, nor was there paramedical staff.  Mehakpreet was given an injection by a chemist and taken to a private hospital in Sangrur, where he is under treatment. “We have locked the hospital and would not open it till action is taken against the staff. Mehakpreet was taken to Sangrur without giving the required first aid,” alleged Ranjit Singh while raising slogans in front of the locked hospital. Civil Surgeon Dr Kirandeep Bali is on leave while District Family Planning officer Dr Ravinder Kler, who has the charge of the Civil Surgeon, said she was on her way to Kohriya to look into the matter.