Within 6 days of paddy harvest season kicking off, Punjab sees over 100 stubble burning cases
With 119 cases, Amritsar has reported the maximum number of stubble burning cases in Punjab so far. On Thursday alone, the district had 29 cases, while the day before, the count stood at 49; paddy harvesting starts early in Majha area of Punjab, which comprises Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts.
Just six days into the paddy harvest season, Punjab has already recorded 136 stubble burning cases across the state.
With 119 cases, Amritsar has reported the maximum number of cases so far. On Thursday alone, the district had 29 cases, while the day before, the count stood at 49.
“In Amritsar district, 34 farm fires have been reported in Majitha block, 28 in Tarsikka, followed by 15 in Verka block. These are the areas where farmers have grown vegetables and potatoes,” said an agriculture department official of Amritsar.
Paddy harvesting starts early in Majha area, which comprises Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts.
Tarn Taran has so far logged 13 farm fires while Gurdaspur, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar and Patiala have seen one case each. In Tarn Taran, seven farm fire incidents took place in Khadoor Sahib block, while five cases were reported in Tarn Taran block, and one in Chohla Sahib area.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), with the help of Punjab Remote Sensing Institute, had started a satellite survey from September 15.
“If the government fails to rein in on the menace in the initial days, it will be very difficult to do so in the forthcoming days,” said agriculture officials.
Pertinently, farmers have already rejected the proposal to make use of the bio-decomposer spray which can clear stubble in about 30 days. As the window between paddy harvest and sowing of wheat crop is narrower than that, it is not feasible to use this method.
The Punjab government has deputed almost 10,000 officers and employees to keep a check on stubble burning.
A PPCB spokesperson said that the board is sharing data with district administration as they are the authority to take action against erring farmers.
