Ferozepur cops hold the baton in fight against stubble fires

268 cases from Sept 15 to October 30 against 516 recorded last year

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, Updated At : 07:06 AM Nov 02, 2024 IST

In addition to their routine operational duties, the men in khaki are on a mission to prevent farm fires, and can be often seen dousing the fire themselves in the fields. Their efforts have helped in bringing down the number of stubble burning incidents in the district, which shares border with Pakistan, this year.

As per information, while 730 incidents of farm fire were reported from September 15 to October 30 in the year 2022, the number dipped to 516 in 2023, while only 268 cases have been reported during the same period this year.

SSP Saumya Mishra said the police had adopted multi-prolonged strategies to prevent stubble burning, which paid dividends. From engagement with farmer unions and village defence committees (VDC), collaboration with NGOs, to special patrolling and strict enforcement, the police played a proactive role in bringing these incidents down.

The SSP said 29 additional patrolling teams under SHOs, besides another 65 special teams attached with PCRs had been pressed into service to take both prevention and enforcement action.

“Till date, around 165 meetings have been held with farmer unions and another 105 with VDCs. Regular patrolling was being done at 100 hotspots and villages where farm fire incidence is high,” said the SSP.

Mishra said the police had struck a rapport with NGOs and other stakeholders, including panchayats and youth clubs, for spreading awareness and know-how on the latest technology to manage the paddy straw. Besides, farmers were being cautioned about the ill-effects of stubble burning on their health and environment.

“Till now, around 300 incidents were reported by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre in this district. Out of these, 247 cases have been registered against the violators,” said the SSP.

Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma said the administration had also appointed cluster officers, who were carrying out joint patrolling with the police and conducting tours in the entire district to prevent stubble burning incidents.