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Punjab speaker honours farmers who shunned stubble burning
Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan Friday honoured progressive farmers from Ludhiana, Moga, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib etc for not indulging in stubble burning.
Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Friday honoured 700 progressive farmers from across the state for not indulging in stubble burning.
While presiding over a function at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), where farmers from Ludhiana, Moga, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Rupnagar, SBS Nagar and Ferozepur were felicitated, the speaker said these farmers had emerged as warriors against pollution and followed Guru Nanak’s teachings in letter and spirit by not burning the residues.
Two days, Punjab environment minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer had said there had been a 30% reduction in farm fires this time as compared to last year due to in-situ and ex-situ management and special campaign to honour farmers who did not burn stubble.
According to the minister, in 2021, 71,304 fire incidents were reported between September 15 and November 30 in the state, while their number was 49,907 during the same period this year.
‘Befitting tribute to Guru Nanak’
The speaker said shunning stubble burning was a humble and befitting tribute to Guru Nanak, who gave the message of “Pawan Guru pani pita mata dharat mahat”.
He pointed out that the Punjab government had been making sincere efforts to control the menace but needed farmers’ full support to eliminate the menace completely.
“The state government is on the job to make special policies for making agriculture a profitable profession,” he said, adding that the day was not far when stubble burning and other maladies will no longer exist in Punjab.
Expressing concern over the depleting groundwater in Punjab, president of Bhai Ghanaiya Cancer Roko Seva Society, Faridkot, Gurpreet Singh Chand Baja said it would last for only 16 more years.
He added that forestry in Punjab had reduced from 33% to 3.67%, while health issues had multiplied due to pollution.
Harminder Singh, director of Gadri Baba Dulla Singh Giani Nihal Singh Foundation, Jalaldiwal, and Puneet Kashyap, who has been turning stubble into fodder, stressed upon strengthening cooperative societies in the state to bring down the cost incurred on purchasing farm machinery.
Ludhiana admn lauded
Sandhwan lauded the Ludhiana administration as the district had witnessed a 55% decline in stubble burning. He said 5,817 cases of stubble burning were reported in 2021 in the district, while the number reduced to 2,682 in 2022.
He appreciated the efforts of deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik and chief agricultural officer (CAO) Amanjeet Singh for curbing the cases of stubble burning in the district to a considerable extent.
He also congratulated PAU vice-chancellor SS Gosal for sending 1,000 BSc students to different villages for spreading awareness among farmers about the ill-effects of stubble burning.
Prominent among those present on the occasion were MLAs Sarvjit Kaur Manuke and Daljit Singh Grewal, Tarn Taran deputy commissioner Rishipal Singh, Fazilka additional deputy commissioner (General) Major Amit Sareen and Punjabi actor Malkit Singh Rauni.
