Punjab: A campaign has been launched to make farmers aware against stubble burning. The campaign got a boost when activists of Punjab Revenue Patwar Association said that they would urge paddy cultivating farmers of their respective areas to stay away from the evil practice of stubble burning. Revenue officials said that they would participate in the programmes organised by the administration to spread awareness about the causes and consequences of stubble burning, adding that they would also hold street corner meetings and workshops at common places and farms located on the outskirts of their areas. Punjab Revenue Patwar Association president Harveer Singh Dhindsa said that revenue officials would organise small but productive programmes on management of agricultural waste including stubble on the sidelines of their duty hours.
“Since revenue officers (patwaris) are the widest and most intimate forum for redressal of agriculture-related issues, they can be most effective in persuading farmers to stay away from stubble burning,” Dhindsa said. He lauded the efforts of revenue officials who agreed to offer their services for the purpose. Dhindsa said that the revenue officials are supporting the coordinated movement launched in the district under the supervision of Malerkotla deputy commissioner; however, the farmers were addressed by senior officials of the administration and agriculture departments only. “Though Malerkotla DC Dr. Pallavi has called a meeting of senior officials of the agriculture department, farmers welfare department, Punjab Pollution Control Board, cooperative department and rural development department to take aggressive steps to curb stubble burning in the area, we have decided to explore possibilities of further encouraging farmers at our personal level to help the administration achieve 100 per cent target of zero tolerance,” he said. He claimed that the presidents of different districts have been asked to ensure that the workers of their respective areas hold informal meetings with the farmers to resolve the issue. Dhindsa said that the officials have been asked to update their knowledge on the problem before holding meetings with the farmers. Dhindsa said, “We want to ensure that all the patwaris are updated about the alternative ways of dealing with stubble and the availability of the necessary equipment for this purpose.” Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Dr Pallavi had appealed to all the officials of the administration to take forward the movement started to make farmers aware about the causes and consequences of violating the Green Tribunal guidelines on disposal of agricultural waste.
