Modi government doubles stubble burning fine after Supreme Court rap

New Delhi: Following a drubbing from the Supreme Court, the Narendra Modi-led Union government on Thursday doubled the fines for farmers putting their fields on fire, even as Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) struggled to breathe because of the toxic haze hanging over the area.

According to the new rules, farmers having land less than two acres will have to pay an environmental compensation of Rs 5,000 for every instance of stubble burning. The fine earlier was Rs 2,500.

Similarly for farmers owning land between 2-5 acres, the fine will be Rs 10,000 and for those having more than 5 acres the fine will be Rs 30,000, official sources said. The previous rates were half of the new ones.

Soon after the Union Environment and Forest Ministry gazetted the new rates, the Commission for Air Quality Management on Thursday issued orders for immediate implementation to the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and districts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan that fall within the NCR.

The state governments were earlier rebuked by the apex court for their failure to implement the laws and rules, including imposing fines on erring farmers that are meant to reduce stubble burning.

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

Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan slammed the Centre for its "anti-farmer" move of increasing fine on farmers.

"The Union government is trying to increase pressure on farmers through such tactics. The farmers who have crop residue management machinery did not burn stubble at all," he said.

Punjab has reported 5,041 farm fires between September 15 and November 6, registering more than 70 per cent decline in such cases as compared to corresponding period last year.

Studies estimate that during peak burning periods, farm fires contribute up to 30 per cent of particulate matter levels in the NCR, where the pollution load is already very high due to an explosive vehicle growth and extensive construction works.

Punjab recorded 36,663 farm fires in 2023, registering a 26 per cent drop compared to 2022. The northern state recorded 49,922 fire events in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018 with districts like Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar witnessing widespread stubble burning incidents.