Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, April 3: District Magistrate Smt. Komal Mittal has issued orders under Chapter 11 of Section 163 of the Indian Civil Protection Code, 2023 (46 of 2023) to ban harvesting of wheat crop with combines from 6 pm to 10 am within the limits of District Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. Along with this, burning of crop residue after harvesting of wheat crop has also been completely banned. Through these orders, there will also be a ban on harvesting any combine without installing SMS. These orders will be in force with immediate effect from 1st April 2025 to 31st May 2025.
While giving information, Mrs. Komal Mittal said that the wheat harvesting season is about to begin. She said that the combines work 24 hours a day to harvest the crop. She said that running the combines at night increases the risk of accidents. Apart from this, when these combines harvest wheat at night, the moisture content of the crop which is not dried properly is above the specifications set by the government and the purchasing agencies are unable to purchase that wheat.
She said that after harvesting the wheat, the farmers burn its residue, as a result of which the gases emitted from it pollute the environment and the fertility of the land is also lost. In this regard, keeping in mind the Civil Writ Petition No. 10138/06 Captain Sarabjit Singh vs. Government of Punjab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court and in order to implement the recommendations of the committee constituted in pursuance of these orders, it becomes necessary to ban the burning of crop residues after harvesting wheat.