Hindustan Times (Bathinda)

Haryana’s Active Fire Location app to be available on Google Play soon

- Bhaskar Mukherjee bhaskar.mukherjee@htlive.com

The Haryana Space Applicatio­n Centre (HARSAC) is in the process of bringing mobile applicatio­n ‘Active Fire Location’ on Google Play to make it easier for users to download and use, said RS Hooda, chief scientist of HARSAC, located at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultur­al University.

Presently, the applicatio­n is available for download at HARSAC website hrsdi.in. Talking to HT, RS Hooda said, “Scientists of HARSAC are trying to bring the applicatio­n in Google Play so to facilitate its download which will lead to more people giving informatio­n and reporting cases of stubble burning around them.”

Explaining further, Hooda said that the mobile applicatio­n shows the exact location of an active fire with the routes to reach the spot at the earliest after the HARSAC collects the report from a Us-based satellite, Suomi.

Sharing data of 2017, Hooda said that more than 13,000 active fire location were spotted after harvesting of paddy crop in Haryana state and a detail reported was sent to the pollution control department and concerned deputy commission­ers of districts.

COMPARISON OF 2017 AND 2018 REPORTS

According to the reports of stubble burning cases in Haryana from September 26, 2017 to October 4, 2017 and the same period in 2018, as released by HARSAC, it is evident that this year, there were eight more cases.

Last year, from September 26 to October 4, there were 45 cases and during the same time this year, 53 stubble burning cases were reported from various districts of the state.

30 SENSITIVE VILLAGES IDENTIFIED IN DISTRICTS

Hooda said that the HARSAC has identified 30 villages in every district where most of the stubble burning cases took place in the last few years. The government and the scientists of HARSAC are keeping a tight vigil in the identified villages and also launching awareness campaigns in these villages, he said.

He said the scientists are also visiting these villages to spread awareness among the farmers against stubble burning and also taking an undertakin­g from them regarding the same.

FIR AND FINE IN HISAR

According to a government press release, Hisar DC Ashok Kumar Meena claimed that Hisar SDM Paramjeet Singh Chahel is keeping an eye on the reports of HARSAC and on Wednesday, slapped ₹2,500 fine on a farmer of Jagan village and informed the police to register an FIR against a farmer identified as Manphool of Juglan village.

 ?? HT PHOTO ?? Farmers of a Panipat village pledging to give up stubble burning following an awareness drive.
HT PHOTO Farmers of a Panipat village pledging to give up stubble burning following an awareness drive.

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