Chandigarh: With 75% paddy harvested and 57 % of the targeted produce procured in Punjab, it is now clear that there has been a 73% fall in the number of farm fire incidents in the state, from 17,403 up to Nov 5 in 2023 to 4,755 in the same period this year.
Under the watch of National Green Tribunal (NGT), district administrations in Punjab this year have been taking a serious view of incidents of stubble burning by ordering suspensions and issuing show cause notices to field staff of the agriculture and panchayat departments for ‘negligence’ in curtailing farm fires.
As per official sources, 110.92 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy had been procured by Wednesday against the target of 185 LMT set for the ongoing season. Punjab director (agriculture) Jaswant Singh said paddy harvesting picked up in the state after Diwali. “In all, 75% of it has been done, which is comparable with the figure last season. There have been concerted efforts by various departments to make farmers aware of the ill-effects of stubble burning and address their local issues,” he said.
Around 32 lakh hectares of area is estimated to be under paddy cultivation in the state. Even though paddy procurement kicked off in the state on Oct 1, many farmers had delayed harvesting as grain markets were packed due to slow pace of lifting, leading to concerns over the possibility of a sudden spurt in farm fires towards the end of paddy harvesting.
Last year, following the Supreme Court’s directions to the state govt, district administrations and police had swung into action and directions were issued that prompt disciplinary action will be taken against the police SHO concerned if any stubble burning was found in his jurisdiction.