14 farmers arrested in Haryana's Kaithal for stubble-burning
Chandigarh (PTI): Fourteen 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, as pollution levels in the region, including the national capital, soar.
Stubble-burning in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab is often blamed for the rise in pollution levels in Delhi, especially during the post-harvest season of October and November.
"During the past few days, fourteen farmers were arrested for burning stubble, but they were later released on bail as the offence is bailable," Kaithal's Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Birbhan said over the phone.
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, he said.
FIRs were registered recently for stubble-burning in some other districts also, including Panipat and Yamunanagar.
Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad on Sunday directed deputy commissioners to ensure stubble-burning incidents are effectively curtailed.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Punjab and Haryana governments over the non-prosecution of those found guilty of stubble-burning. It has summoned the chief secretaries of the both states to appear before it on October 23 for an explanation.
A bench of justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Maish pointed out "complete insensitivity" on the part of the two states, directing the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to take penal action against their government officials for the failure to take action against the violators.
Farmers set paddy residue ablaze to clear their fields to sow wheat, a Rabi crop, as the window between harvesting and sowing is very short.
Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress general secretary and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja recently demanded that the government fix an MSP for stubble and buy it from farmers.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
