In view of the dense smog in the district, Fatehabad District Administration has decided to change the timings of schools.
District Magistrate, Hardeep Singh on Monday said that all schools will now open at 9 am in the morning instead of 8 am. These orders, which will remain effective till the next one week and will also be applicable to private schools, said he.
Singh has directed the officers of Education Department to ensure strict compliance of these orders. Taking strong note, the District Magistrate has also issued notices to various village level committees for violation of Section 144. These committees consisting of three officers, ADO, Patwari and Village Secretary, were constituted to put a check on incidents of stubble burning in villages.
‘’Members of the committees did not report the right number of incidents of stubble burning, so considering it a major negligence, notices of violation of Section 144 has been issued to these committees, said Hardeep Singh.
Committees have been asked to give their reply in two days otherwise strong action would be taken against them, he added.
He has also asked officials to identify all the farmers, who had burned paddy residue in their fields, so that all such farmers can also be given notices for violation of Section 144.
Singh also expressed his displeasure on the working style of the concerned officers and employees, adding that people have been facing difficulty in breathing and they suffer from respiratory problems.
Apart from this, due to the low visibility on roads caused by smog, road accidents have also increased suddenly, said he while make an appeal to the farmers not to burn paddy residue as this matter is directly related to people’s health.
The District Magistrate further directed the officers and employees to control the effect of smog within a week.
Apart from this, he also asked the officers of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department to establish additional Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) in the district and providing immediate loans to the applicants of approved custom hiring centers.