Chief Secretary directs officers to curb stubble burning
KI Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
In order to ensure efficacious implementation of steps against stubble burning, Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh on Wednesday directed all coordinating and nodal officers to ensure strict compliance of instructions issued to tackle the menace of stubble burning.
Holding a meeting with senior officers, who have been coordinating and monitoring the activities related to curbing the stubble burning in all the districts of state during Kharif-2019, the Chief Secretary said farmers should be apprised about the harming affects of this unhealthy practice so as to ensure clean and pollution free environment. He also directed that besides the massive awareness campaign, interaction should be held with farmers in all districts to educate them about damage to soil fertility and health hazards due to burning crop residue.
Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Viswajeet Khanna apprised that Punjab Government had already provided requisite machines in the current season and the previous years for effective in-situ management of paddy stubble.
The Chief Secretary instructed the officers to ensure the proper utilization of the machines. He also said that those farmers who have not burnt paddy remnants in the last couple of years should be appreciated and made brand ambassadors in the adjoining villages for motivating others to sow next crop without resorting to burning of paddy residue.
Emphasizing the need to maximum participation of the farmers in the efforts of state government against stubble burning, the Chief Secretary said that in view of the mega celebrations of the 550th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji this unhealthy practice should be wiped out from the state as Guru Ji had propagated the message to conserve natural resources of air, water and earth. Senior Officers of Agriculture, Rural Development & Panchayats, Revenue, Home, Cooperation, Power and Punjab Pollution Control Board also attended the meeting.
