Deputy Commissioner Appeals to Farmers Not to Burn Paddy Straw and Crop Residue

Hoshiarpur, September 15:- With the objective of creating awareness among farmers against burning paddy straw and crop residue in fields, the Punjab Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the District Administration today flagged off three awareness vans from the District Administrative Complex. On the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain appealed to farmers not to burn paddy straw in fields during the paddy season, keeping in view environmental protection and the safety of human health.
Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain said that during the past years, farmers had shown great seriousness and cooperation in helping to curb incidents of burning crop residue in fields on a large scale. This has made a significant contribution towards maintaining the environment, protecting human health and preserving soil fertility, besides conserving beneficial insects. She said that similar cooperation is expected from farmers during this season as well. She said that the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court have issued necessary directions from time to time in this regard, and ensuring compliance with these directions is the primary duty of everyone so that the environment can be kept green, clean and pollution-free. She informed that 485 nodal officers and 125 cluster officers have been deployed in the district for continuous monitoring and awareness.
Regarding the awareness vans, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain said that these vans would reach every block and village in the district to spread the message against burning paddy straw. She said that the Agriculture Department has made machinery available on subsidy to farmers, cooperative societies, panchayats and farmer groups to ensure proper management of paddy straw and crop residue in the fields. She said that the District Administration has also established contact with industrialists for transporting farmers’ managed paddy straw to industrial units, which would help increase farmers’ income.
She appealed to farmers not to burn paddy straw or other crop residue in fields under any circumstances, as all fields are being monitored 24x7 through satellites and any incident of burning is immediately taken notice of. She said that everyone should discharge their responsibility in the interest of the environment and human health and refrain from taking any such action. She called upon farmers that if any farmer requires machinery or other assistance for paddy straw management, he or she can submit the requirement through Agriculture Department officials, on which appropriate action would be taken.
Chief Agriculture Officer Deepinder Singh said that farmers of the district have resolved not to burn paddy straw with full awareness, due to which very few such cases were reported during the past years. He said that during this season, efforts are being made proactively to keep the number of incidents of field burning at zero, and farmers are expected to extend their cooperation as always.