Punjab: Amid rise in farm fires, no holiday for Moga officials for 10 days

Amid rise in the incidents of stubble burning, the Moga district administration has decided to cancel the leaves for the civil and police officials for the next 10 days. Moreover, even during the next three-day holiday, officials have been instructed to continue monitoring the fields. These directions were issued on Thursday by deputy commissioner Vishesh Sarangal and senior superintendent of police Ajay Gandhi during a meeting with officials.
Sarangal said the Supreme Court and the Commission for Air Quality Management had taken a serious note of the incidents of stubble burning in the state. He shared that in light of the recent fire incidents, the court of Moga chief judicial magistrate had started proceedings under Section 14(1) of the National Capital and Adjoining Areas Act, under the Air Quality Management Commission, against six officials. These include Baghapurana block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) Rupinderjit Kaur, nodal officers Rajwinder Singh, Jagjit Singh, Jagjit Singh Chahal, Jaspal Singh and Balwinder Singh. If convicted, individuals can be fined ₹1 crore or jailed for five years, or both.
“Even though there is a government holiday for the next three days, officials have been instructed to continue monitoring the fields,” the DC said.
Sarangal instructed senior officials, all cluster officers, nodal officers and SHOs to either work effectively to stop stubble burning incidents or be ready to face consequences. He advised cluster officers to report any non-cooperative nodal officers.
He clarified that if any farmer sets fire to his fields, both the farmer and the concerned senior officials and SHOs will face serious consequences.