Punjab’s dist Sangrur records max field fires

In the current paddy harvest season Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district Sangrur has reported a maximum number of stubble burning incidents – 1,272 to date which translates to 19% of the total 6,611 cases. CM hails from Satoj village in Sunam tehsil of the district.

The Punjab Remote Sensing Center (PRSC) starts recording farm fires from September 15 to November 30.

Though there has been a fall in incidents this year when compared to the previous year when correspondingly 23,626 cases were reported, Sangrur is still topping the chart followed by Ferozepur (791).

At the onset of the kharif harvest, Amritsar reported the highest number of cases. Till Sunday, Amritsar has recorded 643 cases, nearly half the number in Sangrur.

The highest number of cases in Sangrur is even though state and central agencies are monitoring the stubble fires.

According to Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) Sangrur general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan the district has the highest number of marginal (owning up to 2.5 acres of agricultural land) and small farmers (owning 2.5 acres to 5 acres) who lack the means to manage. stubble either by in-situ (mixing stubble in soil) or ex-situ (evacuating stubble out of the fields) methods.

He added that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its order nine years ago had directed the state government to give machines for stubble management to marginal and small farmers without charging any rent but around 5,000 is being charged.

“The Supreme Court had also approved of it but the state government has failed to implement the orders,” he added.

Sangrur deputy commissioner Sandeep Rishi said that the highest number of cases can be attributed to the area under paddy, which according to him is the largest among all other districts. As per the DC, 2.38 lakh hectares are under paddy cultivation. “Steps taken have resulted in a 70% dip in number of cases when compared to the last year,” the DC added.