New DelhiFarmers will now have to pay double the fine for burning stubble in the fields. After the strictness of the Supreme Court, the Central Government has doubled the fine on farmers. The Environment Ministry issued a notification on Thursday giving this information. According to this, now a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed on land less than two acres. A fine of Rs 10,000 will be charged from those having land between two to five acres and Rs 30,000 from those having land more than five acres. The governments of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi will have to compulsorily implement these rules.
It is noteworthy that on November 4, during the hearing, the Supreme Court had asked Punjab and Haryana to file their reply by November 14 on stubble burning. Earlier on October 23, the Supreme Court had given two weeks time to the Central Government to make rules under the Environment Protection Act regarding air pollution and to appoint responsible officers. At this time, expressing displeasure with the Haryana government, the court said that it should not be forced to give strict orders.