E-Paper
208 Mansa panchayats resolve against farm fires
Administration has made elaborate arrangements including providing ample farm equipment for implementation of straw management: Mansa additional DC (development) T Benith
208 gram panchayats of Mansa have passed official resolutions to shun the environmentally hazardous practice of burning paddy residue.
Deputy commissioner Baldeep Kaur on Wednesday that out of 245 panchayats in the district, 208 called special meetings to pledge to stop fire farms.
In the last few years, Mansa is among the districts that have reported high incidents of burning straws. Leaders of various farmer unions take lead in overruling the state government’s directives of not burning organic waste in the fields.
DC said acreage of low residue-producing variety of Pusa-126 has increased by 30% this year thus the burden of organic waste generation has also been reduced in the district. She said leaders of Ugrahana and Lakhowal factions of the Bhartiya Kisan Unions have extended support in the ongoing drive to avoid stubble burning.
Mansa additional DC (development) T Benith said the administration has made elaborate arrangements including providing ample farm equipment for effective implementation of straw management.
“Seven block-level clusters have been formed to store paddy straw. We are working to achieve zero farm-fire events in 40 villages. For this initiative, two private biomass units at Khokhar Kalan and Bhikhi have been attached with 20 villages each in their vicinity to take care of straw,” he said. Managements of over 30 gaushalas have also been roped in to consume organic waste as fodder, he added.
