With 50% paddy harvested, Kurukshetra hopes to keep stubble fires under control

With nearly 50 per cent of the paddy crop harvested, the Agriculture Department in Kurukshetra has set its sights on keeping stubble burning incidents in single digits this year.

Officials said only one case of paddy residue burning has been reported in the district so far. Taking swift action, the department imposed an environment compensation charge (ECC) of Rs 5,000 on the erring farmer from Ajrawar village and made a red entry against him on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal, barring him from selling crops at MSP for the next two seasons.

This year, 3.20 lakh acres in Kurukshetra district were under paddy cultivation, of which 3.17 lakh acres were registered on the MFMB portal. According to departmental data, nearly half of the crop has already been harvested, and with just one confirmed violation so far, officials are confident of keeping the number of farm fires in single digits.

Over 46,000 farmers have registered for in situ and ex situ crop residue management, covering more than 3.16 lakh acres, officials said.

Last year, the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) reported 132 fire locations, of which 74 were traced. This year, only one location has been flagged by HARSAC, but no fire was found there. The lone confirmed case — reported on September 14 — was detected by field staff and a case was registered at the Ismailabad police station.

Deputy Director, Agriculture, Dr Karamchand, said, “The department aimed at zero farm fire incidents this year, but one case was reported at the very beginning of the season in September. The Block Agriculture Officer, Ismailabad, got an FIR registered at the Ismailabad police station. No other case has come to light so far. Farmers are being advised not to burn straw and to take advantage of the government schemes.”

He added that the department has implemented a comprehensive action plan, deploying 666 nodal officers in the field to monitor compliance and assist farmers. “Our efforts are yielding positive results. Farmers are cooperating as they are aware of the ill effects of burning stubble. The department provides assistance of Rs 1,200 per acre for in situ and ex situ management of paddy and farmers have shown keen interest in these schemes this year,” Dr Karamchand said.