Patiala dist admn officials visit farmers managing stubble at midnight

While many people who keep on accusing farmers of setting paddy residue on fire were busy bursting crackers on Diwali, there were few good men who were setting an example for others by doing their bit to save environment.

Away from their relatives, friends and children, these farmers, along with labourers, were busy managing paddy stubble well past midnight.

On Diwali night, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Nanak Singh visited their fields to commend the farmers practising sustainable crop residue management.

The officials visited Hirdapur village, where they inspected a large baler machine being used to collect and bundle the paddy residue. They encouraged the farmers’ initiative and urged them to avoid burning stubble, citing the benefits of preserving soil fertility and reducing pollution.

The Deputy Commissioner also visited Kishangarh village, urging the farmers to incorporate stubble back into the soil or manage it through alternative methods. Yadav noted that with the help of a baler machine operated by Narinder Singh Chaudhary, approximately 100 acres of paddy residue can be collected daily and processed into large bundles under ex-situ management.

She said these machines were active in villages like Bakhshiwal, Hirdapur, Lachkani and Sidhuval. The DC urged the farmers to take advantage of the equipment being provided to manage stubble without resorting to burning. The farmers were advised to contact the district administration’s control centre at 0175-2350550 or use the “Unnat Kisan” app to request balers, Happy Seeders, Super Seeders and Surface Seeders for effective crop residue management.

SSP Nanak Singh advised the farmers against burning the crop residue and asked them about awareness campaigns being conducted by the district administration teams in various villages.

Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Isha Singhal, along with AEO Ravinder Singh Chattha, also visited several villages, including Dakala, Karahali, Panjola, Balbera, Ramnagar, Taren and Mardaheri, educating farmers about the importance of managing crop residue. During the tour, they also intervened to extinguish a fire in a field at Dakala.