Chandigarh, Nov 8 (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Friday criticised the Central government's decision to double the fine for stubble burning.

AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said the farmers in Punjab have already been facing financial hardship, and now, on top of that, the Central government has imposed a double fine on them.

Garg said the state government had sought Rs 1,200 crore from the Centre to tackle this issue and reduce incidents of stubble burning by providing financial incentives to farmers to discourage the practice.

He questioned why the Centre had refused to provide this assistance if they were genuinely concerned about stubble burning.

He claimed that due to the efforts of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP government, the number of stubble-burning incidents in the state had significantly reduced over the past three years.

"If the Centre had provided the requested financial support, these incidents would have dropped even further. However, instead of offering help, the Centre imposed a fine," he said.

Garg said Punjab's farmers are seeking resources for stubble management and even want alternatives to paddy cultivation.

"If there was a guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for alternative crops, they would stop growing paddy altogether. However, the Centre is neither purchasing crops at the MSP rate nor providing any alternative options," he said.

He criticised the move to double the fine, calling it a method to "harass and intimidate" the farmers of Punjab.

He appealed to the Central government to stop "troubling" farmers and instead offer support, as these are the same farmers who fill the country's grain reserves, feeding people across the nation.

The Central government has doubled the fine for stubble burning. The new fines are Rs 5,000 for burning stubble on less than 2 acres, Rs 10,000 for two to five acres, and Rs 30,000 for more than five acres.