NODAL OFFICERS IN 8,000 VILLAGES TO CHECK FARM FIRES

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has decided to depute nodal officers in nearly 8,000 paddy growing villages across the state where paddy stubble is traditionally being burnt.

Agriculture and farmers welfare secretary Kahan Singh Pannu said the deputy commissioners had been asked to depute the officers/ officials in each of these villages to create awareness about the ill effects of stubble burning on human health and environment. These nodal officers have been asked to keep a close vigil over the post harvesting operations.

The agriculture secretary said the staff of cooperation, revenue, rural development and panchayats, agriculture, Horticulture, soil conservation and power departments would work in tandem to check this menace. The nodal officers will also undertake various activities, ranging from holding meetings with the farmers and, arranging Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines to distribution of pamphlets/leaflets in villages, besides making announcements in gurdwaras. “If any farmer burns the residue in the open fields, the nodal officers will ensure red entry in the revenue records with the help of the patwari,” he said.

Pannu said that all the secretaries of 3,485 cooperative societies in state would be deployed in addition to 1,850 panchayat secretaries , 2,000 junior engineers, 6,000 linemen, 200 sub-divisional officers of PSPCL, 1,500 officers of the departments of agriculture, horticulture and soil conservation.