Amid panchayat poll din, Malerkotla admn focuses on stubble burning, paddy purchase

Despite a hectic schedule, senior functionaries in various departments of the administration continued its endeavour to sensitise all stakeholders on the causes and consequences of stubble burning.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently issued instructions to all the administrations in the state to undertake a sustained campaign to make farmers aware about paddy straw management.

Besides the stubble burning problem, the authorities were busy as they had to handle the stressful last day of filing nominations for the panchayat elections. The administration also had to handle the paddy procurement process at grain markets because of the ongoing protests by commission agents and rice millers.

Sources at returning offices, where a large number of aspirants for contesting panchayat elections had queued up for filing nominations, revealed senior functionaries led by SDMs at all subdivisions were busy organising workshops and seminars at villages falling under their respective jurisdiction.

It is pertinent to mention the administration had already identified almost all hotspots where violations of guidelines on disposal of agricultural wastes had taken place with impunity in the recent years and an intensive and coordinated move to sensitise farmers about the causes and consequences of stubble burning had been running for about a month.

Senior functionaries of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Cooperative Societies, supervised by the DC, Dr Pallavi, Amargarh SDM Surinder Kaur, Malerkotla and Ahmedgarh SDM Harbans Singh.

DC Pallavi said authorities concerned had been advised to help farmers, self-help groups and cooperative societies make plans for the purchase of new machinery for the purpose of making optimum use of available equipment.

The SDMs urged farmers to prevent stubble burning as it was detrimental to soil fertility and texture and might prove hazardous for persons who suffer from pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.

The DC said everyone concerned was advised to ensure the mobile phone application, Unnat Kheti, was updated periodically so farmers may know the status of availability of super-seeders, mulchers, RMB ploughs, happy-seeders, and the super-straw management system.

Authorities claimed that Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) were established at the village level in compliance with recent guidelines of the Chief Minister so farmers may be persuaded to dispose of the agricultural wastes in an environmentally friendly manner.