Be in touch with farmers for stubble mgmt, Sangrur SDMs told

The sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) of the district must maintain direct contact with farmers at grassroots level to raise awareness and ensure full and effective use of paddy stubble management machinery in their areas.

This was stated by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rahul Chaba at a recent meeting on paddy stubble management with officials of various departments at the District Administrative Complex.

He also said that farmers must refrain from burning paddy stubble under any circumstances to prevent environmental pollution. They should also make valuable contribution to protecting the environment by adopting in-situ and ex-situ techniques.

The DC told the officials that this year not only the number of stubble management machines had increased, but the industries involved in stubble disposal had also expanded. As a result, the stubble-burning incidents could be reduced to zero this year, he added.

He also said that duties had been assigned to the officials of the departments concerned to raise awareness among the farmers about paddy stubble management and to ensure the timely availability of the machinery. He directed the SDMs and other officials to visit the field in their respective subdivisions, interact with the farmers and sensitise them about the issue.

The DC appealed to the farmers not to burn paddy stubble, keeping in mind environment, especially the health of children and elderly persons. Instead, they should incorporate stubble into the soil to enhance its fertility.