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Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal on Saturday said the district had reported 300 stubble-burning incidents so far this season, while the area affected by fires had decreased significantly compared to last year.
Aggarwal shared the details after Tarun Kumar, Member Secretary of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), visited the district to review stubble management measures and assess the action taken to prevent farm fires. Speaking to reporters, Aggarwal said the CAQM official reviewed incidents reported over the past month and this month, the action taken at locations where fires were detected and the steps being undertaken by the district administration to prevent stubble burning. "Today, regarding stubble management, Member Secretary Tarun Kumar from CAQM, which is a Government of India organisation in Delhi, came to conduct a review of our district. He reviewed the entire issue of stubble and stubble burning from last month and this month, including what action was taken where stubble fires occurred, and he was briefed on the measures being taken by the district to prevent stubble burning," Aggarwal said. He added that the official was also briefed on the machinery provided to farmers for in-situ and ex-situ stubble management, along with the additional requirements that may arise next year. "Similarly, he was also briefed on what machinery has been provided to the farmers, whether ex-situ or in-situ, and how much more requirement the farmers will have for next year. He appreciated our efforts and also told us that even more effort needs to be put in so that stubble burning can be stopped 100%, and he gave suggestions for that. We also gave feedback on what requirements our district will have, and he gave us full assurance that he will provide complete cooperation," the Deputy Commissioner said. Aggarwal said Kumar also motivated field-level officers to intensify their efforts during the remaining period of the season, as the district expected sowing to be completed within the next seven to ten days. "Along with this, he also motivated all our officers who work at the field level regarding the remaining season, because we are expecting that within the next seven to ten days, sowing will be 100% complete and stubble burning will start decreasing," he said. The Deputy Commissioner added that the administration had assured the CAQM official that it would make every effort to prevent further incidents. "He also gave suggestions on what our efforts will be over the next ten days, and we have assured him that we will put our full effort into it. A total of 300 fire incidents have been reported in Ludhiana district. Our burned area, meaning how many acres are affected by fire, has decreased significantly compared to last year. We will try to ensure that this number remains as low as possible during the remainder of the season as well," Aggarwal said. (ANI)
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