Karnal, May 8 -- A team from the Haryana agriculture department on Thursday destroyed early-sown paddy nurseries on 12 acres of land in two villages in Karnal. Karnal block agriculture officer Gaurav Mehla said the paddy nurseries in Sangoha and Ramba villages of Karnal block were destroyed under the provisions of the Haryana Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act, 2009. "The land belonged to four farmers in the two villages, who were served notices in advance, mentioning that planting nurseries early in the season was against the Act and were directed to voluntarily destroy them. However, the farmers failed to comply, forcing the department to act," he added. Subject matter specialist Amarjeet Malik, who was part of the team, said as the Act, enacted to address the depletion of groundwater, prohibits sowing of paddy nursery before May 15 and transplanting paddy before June 15 to prevent over-exploitation of underground aquifers.htc...