Stubble burning: Two farmers arrested

PATIALA: The Patiala administration ban on stubble burning in the district are only on paper was proved again when a few farmers set stubble on their fields on fire near Nabha gas bottling plant, putting lakhs of area residents to a grave risk of blast at the plant.
Though farmers set their land on fire during daytime, it continued for many hours. It was doused by the plant authorities when it reached near the main outer wall of the plant.Police and civil administration remained a mute spectator.
The 273-km Panipat-Jalandhar LPG pipeline has an intermediate delivery station for feeding Indian Oil's LPG bottling plant at Nabha. The pipeline has a capacity of 7,00,000 MT to optimally transport LPG from Panipat to Nabha and Jalandhar.
Though Nabha police have registered a case under section of 188 IPC (for violating ban orders) against Misra Singh and Hardev Singh from Kakrala village, both were released on bail immediately after their arrest.
A majority of area farmers had been burning stubble for many days near the bottling plant, but it's for the first time they had been booked. Many claimed they did not know about the ban while others said they did not have any alternative.
"I have not seen anyone announcing the ban. We don't have any other way to clear our land for the next crop," said Shingara Singh, whose land is near the plant.
ASI Shivdev Singh, posted at the Nabha police station, said they had arrested both farmers and later released them on bail. "We have increased patrolling in the area to prevent any further fire near the plant," he said.