PATIALA: Polus Punjab Control Board (PPCB) has found it difficult to curb the incidence of agricultural fires.
Although it has imposed environmental compensation (EC) on violators, district level authorities have failed to recover the same.
On Wednesday, Punjab recorded more than 2,512 cases of burning stumps, taking the seasons to 20,433.
On Tuesday, the country received 3,001 fire incidents, so far.
The state environmental authority has recorded 17,921 fire incidents until Tuesday.
The sub-division team has visited 519 sites within 48 hours.
PPCB has imposed environmental compensation on violators in 1,062 cases.
In 526 cases, compensation has not been charged.
Of the total fine of RS 28.97 lakh which was implemented this season, only RS 7,500 has been realized.
In the Amritsar district, the authorities had imposed a fine of Rs 8.72 Lakh in 343 cases.
In Tarn Taran, Rs 7.95 Lakh has been charged as environmental compensation in 318 cases of burning stumps.
Rs 7,500 which is realized in a fine in the Tarn Taran district.
In Patiala, violators have been fined Rs 6.2 in 159 cases.
In Ludhiana, Rs 1.45 lakh has been charged as compensation in 58 cases.
No compensation applied in Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Firozpur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Muktsar, SBS Nagar, Pathankot, Ropar and Malerkotla so far, although the cases of burning stumps were recorded by PRSC.
This year, the state government has appointed around 8,000 Nodal officers to make a check on stump burn.
Sources say Nodal officer teams do not visit the agricultural fire site on the ground or even meet and consult with farmers to motivate them.
They said even the inspection team visited late combustion sites.
“The fire incident reported by the PRSC website should have been visited within 48 hours.
After burning stumps, farmers hijack their field after one or two days to hide the burning of plant residues.
DCS should get a compensation that is realized,” said an official PPCB.
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