*SEEKS WHOLEHEARTED COOPERATION FROM FARMERS TO SHUN PRACTICE OF STRAW BURNING AMID COVID-19 **NODAL OFFICERS APPOINTED TO KEEP STRICT VIGIL ON STUBBLE BURNING IN PADDY GROWING VILLAGES
Hoshiarpur / September 30 / New Super Bharat News
Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait on Wednesday appealed social, political, religious and non-Government organsiations to join hands with the District Administration in taking the awareness drive against stubble burning to grassroots level besides apprising the farmers about the ill-effects of this unhealthy practice, especially in wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking stock of the situation in the district, the Deputy Commissioner said that stubble burning, a harmful practice for human life, environment and various species of ground-nesting birds, could be contained efficaciously with collective efforts of all stakeholders especially the farmers. Apneet Riyait further asked the authorities concerned to keep a close tab on such practices, which should not be occurred in larger public interest amid ongoing COVID crisis.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the Administration had already appointed Nodal Officers for paddy growing villages where paddy stubble was being traditionally put to fire to prevent it.
Seeking fulsome support and cooperation from farmers in the district, Riyait appealed them to refrain from burning paddy straw in wake of coronavirus, which could further result in serious implications in aggravating the health issues of those already suffering from several diseases. She also mentioned that the said Nodal Officers would perform duties in their respective villages to control stubble burning during harvesting period. The staff of Cooperation, Revenue, Rural Development & Panchayats, Agriculture, Horticulture and Soil Conservation Departments and Punjab Pollution Control Board besides Guardians of Governance would be closely coordinate to further intensify efforts to wipe out the unhealthy practice of stubble burning in Punjab.
Deputy Commissioner stated that these officers have been assigned the task to ensure that harvester combines operate in the villages only with proper installation of Super SMS system properly. They will also prepare the list of owners who have given their land on rent (theka) and then call each land owner on phone to impress upon them to ensure that no paddy straw is burnt on their land, otherwise red entry shall be made in land record.
The Nodal Officers, said Apneet Riyait, will also identify those farmers who are likely to put fire to the paddy residue and to convince them by the way of one to one contact. They would also get to know the farmers who have burnt the residue and ask the revenue patwari of village to make relevant entry in Revenue records as per separate instructions issued by Revenue Department.
The Nodal Officers will create awareness in villages by way of holding meetings with farmers, to help arrange CRM machines in village, to distribute pamphlets/leaflets etc in village, to make announcements in Gurdwara to convince the farmers to abstain from burning crop residue.Pertinently, the state government has chalked out a massive program for the management of paddy straw without burning. As part of this, about 23500 more agri-machines are being provided this year in the state and 51,000 paddy straw in-situ management machines were given to the farmers in the last two years either individually or in groups or through cooperative societies at a subsidy ranging from 50% to 80%.