Jalandhar: Today, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal launched three awareness vans to educate farmers in areas where stubble burning is common. The vans are equipped with audio messages about the harmful effects of burning paddy stubble. They will visit hotspot villages over the next 30 days to raise awareness about this issue across all ten agriculture blocks.
He said the paddy stubble was useful for the farmers and it should not be burnt at any cost as farm residue could play an important role in enhancing the fertility of the soil. He said burning of stubble poses a danger to the environment and must be avoided at every cost.
The DC further stated that the Administration has procured a large number of machines to help farmers manage crop residue. So far, as many as 6342 such machines have been provided to farmers to manage crop residue.
The Deputy Commissioner said that besides the audio messages, vans would also disseminate information to the farmers through the pamphlets and posters for making them aware of the pollution caused by paddy burning beside the ways and means of managing the paddy straw effectively.
He also said that due to the burning of paddy straw several major nutrients and other micronutrients of soil were destroyed whereas the soil health improves drastically if the residue of straw was mixed in the soil. Senior officials from agriculture department and PPCB were also present on the occasion.