DC visits villages that saw most farm fire cases last year

As the paddy harvesting season is all set to begin in some days, Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray visited villages that had reported the highest number of farm fires in the district last year. He engaged with farmers and encouraged them to manage crop residue without burning it during the upcoming paddy harvesting season.

He also honoured farmers who did not burn stubble in the previous year. Accompanying him were Samana SDM Richa Goyal, District Agriculture Officer Jaswinder Singh and Executive Engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board Gurkaran Singh.

Parray held open discussions with farmers in Talwandi Malik and Ghagga villages, which reported the highest number of paddy residue burning incidents last year.

He first heard the farmers’ concerns and then issued on-the-spot directions to the relevant departments for their resolution.

He informed the farmers of Talwandi Malik and Ghagga that balers for ex-situ management and necessary machinery for in-situ management would be made available in time. Farmers also pledged to refrain from stubble burning this year.

He emphasised the importance of farmer cooperation in stubble management and assured that the district administration would provide full support to farmers in adopting both in-situ and ex-situ stubble management techniques.

Addressing the farmers of both villages, the DC urged them to demonstrate the use of surface seeders for wheat sowing on 25-30 acres as a trial.

He highlighted that new technologies could be used to easily dispose of stubble. He emphasised that burning stubble was not a solution to the problem. “While it clears the fields of residue, it pollutes the environment and exposes us and our families to various diseases,” he added.

The DC honoured farmers Amarinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Karandeep Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, Nirmal Singh, and Sarabjit Singh for not burning stubble last year and appealed to other farmers to cooperate in stubble management.

Also present on the occasion were Agriculture Officer Satish Kumar, PPPCB SDO Mohit Singla and Agriculture Extension Officers Ravinderpal Singh Chatha and Prabdeep Singh.