Example set: Punjab's Garshankar not burning straw any more

GARHSHANKAR (HOSHIARPUR): Even as Punjab has been witnessing highest number of farm fires till now this year as compared to last few years, a number of farmers in Garshankar area of Nawanshahar district have not burnt stubble and the stubble from their fields is going to a unit in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) authorities averred that it was good that stubble was being used as energy and they were working to bring down farm fires.
“No farmer from our village has burnt stubble in the ongoing paddy harvesting season as the stubble has been picked by the people making bails. They take the stubble bails to a sugar mill in Nawanshahr and paper mill in Saila, but now a large part is also going to Himachal Pradesh where it is being used by some unit,” said Charanjit Singh, sarpanch of Panam village. “I also haven’t burnt stubble on my four acres for the last many years. As a result of less stubble being burnt in the area, people are facing less respiratory issues”.
The farmers say the contractors are coming to their villages to lift the stubble and off door step service.
“In our village as well, people come to pick up stubble and make bails of the same. What else can a farmer ask as transportation of stubble requires money and that increase the cost of farming,” said Manpreet Singh, a resident of Dhamai village. He added that children and elderly were benefiting from this as stubble burning incidents were less in the village.
The contractors, who are making bails of stubble, said the demand was high.
“We collect stubble in Khanna area and supply it there, but after we got an order for the same from a soap concentrate manufacturing unit in Nangal area of Himachal Pradesh so we thought it will be easier to collect the stubble here and supply the same to the factory in HP, around 20 km from here, as transportation cost from here is less. This is the first time that stubble is going to a unit in Himachal Pradesh at such a large scale. The unit needs 50,000 tonnes for power generation, but we would be able to meet 30,000 tonnes requirement. About 20-25 bailers from Nawanshahar and 8-10 bailers from Patiala are involved in the process,” said Maggar Singh, a farmer of Turmuri village in Khanna, who is involved in the process and camping near Panam village for the same.
“The villagers from where stubble collection has taken place include Bagwain, Guru ki Bhago, Chak Guru, Bakapur Guru, Garhshankar, Gogo, Maktabpur, Rorkie, Sikanderpur, Ibrahimpur, Chak Phullu, Chak Hajipur, Chak Singha, Rakra, Singhli etc. Whereas we are picking up stubble from farmers fields free of cost, there are some persons who do charge some amount from farmers”.
Member secretary, PPCB, Krunesh Garg said he was aware of the use of stubble in distilleries in Nawanshahar and in paper mills there but he has not heard about the stubble being used in a Nangal unit. He added that it is good if it is being used in a unit there and they encourage use of stubble as energy.