Conducting an inquiry against the farmers who deliberately set fire to wheat straw, it was found by the officials of the department of agriculture and farmers’ welfare that the field was set on fire by the farmers in Gehelwal and Bagga Khurd village.
Chief agriculture officer Narinder Singh Benipal informed that acting on the directions of deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik, the inquiry was conducted.
Benipal said a letter has been written to the sub-divisional magistrate, chief environment engineer, Punjab Pollution Control Board, and the concerned police station’s in-charge to take action.
He appealed to the group of farmers to maintain the fertility of the land by adopting in-situ technique, which involves ploughing the wheat straw into the field and not destroying the nutrients by setting it on fire.
He said, “Farmers should give priority to direct sowing to save underground water,” adding that an awareness campaign in this regard is also being carried out by the agriculture department on a large scale.