Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal seeks Akal Takht jathedar's intervention to contain crop residue burning

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, October 10

Intensifying efforts to contain stubble burning cases in the state, the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government today approached Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to seek his appeal to farmers not to burn crop residue.

A day after Agriculture and Family Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal drove a tractor with baler in tow in his field for straw management, he called upon the Akal Takht jathedar, who returned from the USA yesterday, in the morning.

Ushering out of the Akal Takht secretariat after holding nearly 20 minutes long meeting, the Cabinet Minister said the entire Sikh community holds the Akal Takht jathedar in high esteem and religiously follows his words.

So, on behalf of the government Dhaliwal handed over a communique to the jathedar, requesting him to help in ending the menace of stubble burning. Moreover, the minister said, Gurbani equated wind, water and earth with Guru, father and mother, respectively.

He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had already sought cooperation from all organisations of farmers to protect the environment.

The Cabinet Minister, however, categorically refused to take punitive action against violators. He said no punishment could prevent the recurrence of the malaise. Only sensitivity towards a fragile environment could motivate them to shun the practice. He said the government was giving technical assistance and extending heavy subsidies on agricultural appliances, which were used in stubble management.

Harpreet Singh Sudan, Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, said, “As per agricultural experts, mixing of paddy straw in fields increases fertility of the land and decrease its dependence on costly fertilisers. Close to three tonnes of straw is produced from paddy sown on an acre. Burning a tonne of straw will cause a loss of 400 kg of organic carbon, 5.5 kg of nitrogen, 2.3 kg of phosphorus, 2.5 kg of potash and 12 kg of sulphur.”

He said apart from appealing to farmers and panchayats, orders had also been issued under Section 144 that farmers, who had agricultural machinery, must rent it out after use to others at a reasonable price so that the crop residue could be disposed of.