30 farm fire hotspots identified in Ludhiana, plan of action in place

As many as 30 hotspots of stubble burning have been identified across 5 blocks in Ludhiana district, the administration has confirmed.

To check the menace, a comprehensive action plan comprising awareness, education, subsidised machinery, and penal action has been put in place, the Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal has said.

He said the hotspots have been marked on the basis of farm fire incidents reported during the past year and number of crop residue management machineries available at the identified physical locations in Ludhiana, the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population.

With 2.57 lakh hectares, which is equivalent to 6.35 lakh acres, under paddy cultivation, the maximum in the state, Ludhiana district will generate 16.53 lakh metric tonnes of paddy straw at the rate of 6.43 tonne per hectare.

Sharing details, Jorwal told The Tribune here on Wednesday that an all-inclusive stubble management action plan has been launched to prevent and control the farm fires and take action against those indulging in the air pollution on the directions of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

He disclosed that as many as 8,223 machines of 13 different types have been made available to manage stubble in 969 villages spread across 11 blocks in the district.

“The multi-pronged strategy involves spreading awareness, imparting education against stubble burning, providing subsidised machinery, keeping a check on the farm fires, and taking to task the violators, if any,” the DC revealed, while stating that the penal action entails imposing environmental compensation and making red entries in the khasra girdawari (revenue record) of the violators besides penal action against the habitual offenders.

He disclosed that hotspot monitors have been appointed in all hotspot villages to personally visit and supervise the paddy harvesting and stubble management, control rooms have been established at the sub-division levels, 44 fire brigades have been stationed at critical locations and 324 tractor-operated water tanker sprayers have been made available across the district.

“Cluster and nodal officers have been appointed for monitoring stubble burning incidents; besides, an agriculture officer has been assigned as nodal officer for monitoring the hotspot villages,” Jorwal informed.

Under the information, education and communication (IEC) activities, a fleet of mobile vans to spread awareness against stubble burning across each nook and corner of the district during the 40-day Kharif harvesting season has been put out, farmer awareness camps were being held, field exhibitions were training farmers on stubble management, awareness programmes were being held to sensitise students in schools, public announcements were being made from religious places, farmers saying no to stubble burning were being honoured, wall paintings were made, and information material on do’s and don’ts was being distributed among farmers.