Deputy Commissioner Barnala Mrs Punamdeep Kaur today called upon the farmers and villagers to make anti paddy stubble burning campaign a mass movement. In a series of meetings held with the people of village Dhurkot, Bhaini Fatta, Badra and Kahneke along with SSP Barnala Mr Sandeep Kumar Malik, the Deputy Commissioner said that no battle can be won without significant contribution of the community.
She called upon progressive farmers, youth club members, nambardar, chowkidar, members of cooperative societies, anganwari workers, NREGA laborers to ensure that not even single incidence of stubble burning is reported from their village. She disclosed that the district administration has planned stubble management over a period of past six months. All the cooperative societies in district have been provided with enough number of agriculture machinery to manage stubble in farms only.
The major machineries like happy seeder and surface seeder are especially useful in sowing wheat in the paddy stubble in first two weeks of November. She said that farmers need not put paddy stubble on burning rather they should sow wheat in the paddy stubble itself so that the decomposed stubble is used as fertilizer.
She directed that no combine harvester should be used without a Super SMS installed on it. Deputy Commissioner said that this time more than 45 tractors have been given to various cooperative societies apart from ample numbers of other farm machinery.
She added that farmers, who have got agriculture machinery on subsidy, should share the same with other farmers too. For this purpose, the cooperative department has been directed to populate list of one such farmer and attach him with 10 other farmers with whom he can share his machinery.
SSP Barnala Mr Sandeep Malik said that smoke billowing from stubble is responsible for many fatal accidents in roads as well as farms. He said that govenrment has provided ample of machinery to manage stubble in fields itself and hence the farmers should make adwueteuse of it.
Chief Agriculture Officer Jagdish Singh said that in one acre of land farmer produces nutrients from stubble which are worth Rs 6000. By setting it on fire, the farmer not only loses nutrients but also harms health of himself and that of his family.