DC invokes Gurbani to refrain farmers from burning stubble
As stubble burning incidents have started surfacing in the district, Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Tripathi has released a video invoking Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, and a verse from Gurbani to urge farmers to stop this environmentally harmful practice.
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I have just tried to remind people of what our Gurus taught us. It (the video) is meant to dissuade farmers from burning paddy residue. I have urged them to stop this illegal practice because I personally don’t want to act against them. However, if they do not change their ways, strict measures will be implemented. — Rajesh Tripathi, Muktsar DC
In the video, Tripathi first pays obeisance at a gurdwara before appealing to farmers with the Gurbani verse “Pawan guru, pani pita, mata dharat mahat” (Air is the guru, water the father and earth the eminent mother). He encourages farmers to take a pledge to protect the environment.
Talking to The Tribune, Tripathi said, “I have just tried to remind people of what our Gurus taught us. It is a timely message to dissuade farmers from burning paddy residue. I have urged them to stop this illegal practice because I personally don’t want to act against them. However, if they do not change their ways, strict measures will be implemented.”
“We have also conducted meetings with farmers in some villages. Besides, we have identified 21 hotspots in the district that witnessed the highest number of stubble burning incidents last year,” he said.
Meanwhile, the DC and Muktsar SSP Tushar Gupta have also roped in their wives Nishtha Tripathi and Srishti Gupta, respectively, to sensitise farmers through schoolchildren about the harmful effects of stubble burning.
