Hoshiarpur DM issues wide-ranging prohibitory

Hoshiarpur/Daljeet Ajnoha/Sept 09 :
District Magistrate Ashika Jain of Hoshiarpur has issued a series of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 — the law that replaced the colonial-era Section 144 CrPC — covering employment records, tree felling, use of military-style vehicles and uniforms, grazing along canals, and crop-residue burning near a key ammunition depot. The orders, published in local reports dated September 9, 2026, will remain in force until November 7, 2026.
****Employer and tenant registration: stricter record-keeping mandated****
Under the DM’s directions, owners of poultry farms, rice shellers, brick kilns and other small-scale industries, as well as any person employing domestic or other workers, must maintain a register at their premises with: the worker’s full name and address; three photographs (right profile, left profile and front view); and addresses of all the worker’s relatives. Employers are also required to affix the worker’s fingerprints in the register and immediately submit the entire record to the local police station or police post.
Separately, house and shop owners, occupants and persons in charge of properties are directed to ensure that the name and complete address of every tenant — for existing and future rentals — is promptly registered with the concerned police station or police post.
Tree felling curbs: green mango, neem, peepal and banyan protected
The administration has imposed a ban on cutting green mango, neem, peepal and banyan trees within “dehis” (common/village common) areas across the district. If felling is unavoidable in special circumstances, permission must be obtained from the Forest Department, following the procedure used for permits in enclosed land under the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900 (Sections 4 and 5). Outside dehis areas but within Hoshiarpur district, such trees can be cut only after securing permission from the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Military-style vehicles and uniforms: restrictions for civilians
The use of military olive-green coloured jeeps, motorcycles and motor vehicles is prohibited within the district, except for bona fide military officers. Likewise, unauthorised adults are barred from wearing Armed Forces, Punjab Police or BSF uniforms, and from buying or selling such uniforms without authorisation; the restriction does not apply to serving personnel of these forces.
Canal banks and public spaces: no grazing, no bathing of cattle
A complete ban has been placed on watering or bathing cattle on embankments (dhusi bunds) along major and minor canals, choes (seasonal streams) and the Beas river within Hoshiarpur. In addition, grazing animals openly on roads or in public places is fully prohibited.
Crop-residue burning ban near 18 Ammunition Depot
Citing safety concerns, the DM has imposed a total prohibition on burning crop stubble and residue within a 1,000-yard (914-metre) radius of the outer boundary wall of 18 Ammunition Depot, Uchi Bassi, in Dasuya tehsil. This order is part of the same set of prohibitory directions and shares the same validity period.
Legal basis and duration
Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023 empowers Executive Magistrates (including District Magistrates) to issue urgent prohibitory orders to prevent nuisance or apprehended danger to life, health, safety or public tranquility — effectively the successor to Section 144 CrPC. Such orders are time-bound; typically they can remain in force for up to two months unless extended by the state government, though specific local orders may state their own expiry. In this case, the Hoshiarpur administration has specified that the orders will operate until November 7, 2026.