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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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
