New panchayats urge govt to provide adequate equipment to manage stubble

The newly constituted gram panchayats of the region have come forward to support the movement launched by the administration to minimise incidents of stubble burning.

Besides persuading paddy cultivators to adopt eco-friendly methods of disposal of agricultural wastes, office-bearers of these panchayats have urged senior functionaries in the government to provide adequate equipment required for management of crop residue to small and marginal farmers.

Members of various gram panchayats said most paddy cultivators of the region had responded positively to a clarion call made by them to support the campaign launched by the administration against the menace of stubble burning.

Sarpanch Jitwal Kalan Parwinder Singh Gill said, “However, several small and marginal farmers have shown inability in preparing their fields for the next wheat crop without resorting to thermal clearance of agricultural wastes as they did not have adequate equipment to adopt alternative methods of disposal of stubble.”

The sarpanches and panches said they had sought the intervention of revenue officials of their respective localities in drawing attention of the government towards impediments in zero tolerance towards stubble burning.

Justifying demands for strengthening of infrastructure for adopting alternative methods of crop residue management, field Kanungo Sandaur Circle and former Punjab President Revenue Patwar Union Harvir Singh Dhindsa said he had taken up the issue with Principal Secretary KAP Sinha, who had assured to consider problems of paddy cultivators sympathetically.

“Having observed the limitations of farmers intending to shun stubble burning, I spoke to senior functionaries in the government who have assured to do the needful to enhance paraphernalia to undertake alternative eco-friendly methods to dispose of agricultural wastes,” said Dhindsa.

Alleging exploitation of farmers on pretext of subsidy, Dhindsa urged the administration to conduct an inquiry in process for providing subsidy to farmers on the purchase of equipment.

“Farmers are being duped in the name of subsidies on equipment like Super Seeder, Happy Seeder, Rotavator and Mulcher. Though the Punjab Government is providing subsidy on these, the captioned machinery is beyond the reach of the small farmers,” reads a paragraph of a communiqué written by Dhindsa to Principal Secretary KAP Sinha.

Dhindsa said stubble burning is not the only reason behind pollution, as a section of the industry is also violating guidelines of the Pollution Board and National Green Tribunal. He argued that instead of taking punitive action against farmers, the government should do the needful to provide them adequate means for handling agricultural wastes without burning.