Farmers Movement Archive

Farm fires: Fines fail to deter farmers

Tribune News ServiceAmritsar, October 4Despite the district administration issuing challans to farmers flouting the ban on burning of crop stubble in paddy fields, the practice can be seen going on unabated in the rural areas in broad daylight.The challans and instructions to the revenue officials to mark a ‘red entry’ in the revenue records of farmers flouting the ban has failed to prove as a deterrent as the farmers reason that the government has failed to provide them with a viable alternative.While the paddy harvesting is yet to pick up the pace, early sown varieties, mostly sown in the vegetable belts surrounding the city, have already been harvested. In some cases, farmers have already sown potato crop.“We could not afford to delay sowing of potato by even a single day, so we have to burn the residue to prepare the fields,” said a farmer. He said decomposition of crop residue in fields consumes much time, so the farmers choose to burn the stubble.Officials of the district administration stated that farm fires were being monitored using remote sensing techniques and teams were being sent to areas reporting cases of stubble burning to take punitive action.Chief Agriculture Officer Gurdial Singh Bal said apprehensions of potato farmers were misplaced. Citing the example of Surinder Singh, a farmer from Mannawala Kalan, the official said the farmer had been sowing potato without burning crop residue for the past five years.“In fact, the yield of the crop is comparative higher in such fields as when the stubble decomposes, it gives an additional space for potato seeds to grow,” he said, adding that farmers should use combine harvesters fitted with straw management system attachment for stubble management.One booked in Tarn TaranTarn Taran: The police have booked a farmer, identified as Manjinder Singh of Kakka Kandiala village, on the charge of burning paddy straw in fields. ASI Balwinder Singh said the farmer had been booked under Section 188 of the IPC for violating prohibition orders issued by District Magistrate Kulwant Singh. — OC

The Tribune

2020-10-05