Chandigarh: Amid rising pollution levels, 18 farmers were arrested in Haryana's Kaithal district over the past few days for burning stubble in their fields, a police official said on Monday.
Haryana's Kaithal district has become one of the most polluted cities in the country. The Supreme Court also expressed concerns and summoned the Kaithal DC after which, the district administration has initiated action in connection with stubble burning and 18 farmers have been arrested so far.
Head Quarter DSP Birbhan Singh said 18 farmers have been arrested while an awareness against stubble burning is being conducted.
Arresting farmers is a black law: Congress MP Jaiprakash has termed the arrest "a black law". He said that stubble management is the responsibility of the government and MSP should be implemented on stubble. He said that the arrest of farmers is like a black law. If stubble were burnt then first all government officials should be arrested, he added.
Cases have been lodged under the provisions of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and other relevant provisions of the law for burning stubble, police said. FIRs for stubble-burning were registered in Panipat and Yamunanagar as well.
Kaithal ranks first in air pollution: People here are facing a lot of health problems due to rising pollution levels. It is being told that till now 97 cases of stubble burning have been reported in Kaithal district alone.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Punjab and Haryana governments over the non-prosecution of those found guilty of stubble-burning. It also summoned the chief secretaries of the two states to appear before it on October 23.
Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja recently demanded that the government should fix an MSP for stubble and buy it from the farmers.
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