Stubble burning cases in Amritsar reduced by 80% compared to last year: DC Sakshi Sawhney

Amritsar (Punjab) [India], October 17 (ANI): Stubble burning cases in Punjab's Amritsar reduced by 80 per cent as compared to the last year, Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, Sakshi Sawhney, said.
DC Sawhney said that the district has witnessed 73 cases of stubble burning this year, as compared to 378 incidents last year.
She told ANI on Thursday, "60 per cent harvesting has been done in Amritsar, because it is a vegetable belt, so harvesting starts early. Last year, we had approximately 378 incidents of stubble burning, and this year we have 73 incidents, which is 80 per cent fewer compared to last year."
She added that the administration is offering financial incentives to farmers who do not burn stubble, and dedicated call centres have been set up to support them.
"We support farmers as much as possible, and we have a dedicated call centre, as well as a help desk available at mandi, where they can book and schedule their crops. We have also allowed inter-cooperative society lending to maximise the utilisation of available resources... We are giving financial incentives to farmers who do not burn stubble...We have also set up a one-stop window for all the farm-related services," DC Sawhney said.
Earlier, Environmental Engineer Sukhdeva Singh said that 45 cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab from September 15 to September 27, out of which fire was detected at 22 locations. Environmental compensation has been imposed at 22 locations, and damages have been recovered.
Speaking to ANI, Sukhdev Singh, an Environmental Engineer, said, "We've received 45 cases of stubble burning, reported by our satellites. Following our protocol, we verified these within 24 hours. Of those, fires were detected in only 22 locations. We've imposed environmental compensation at all 22 locations, recovered the damages, and launched FIRs. Red entries have been made accordingly."
Highlighting trends compared to last year, Singh explained, "Last year, 59 cases of stubble burning were reported...The satellite survey began on September 15. From September 15 until September 27, we had 45 cases of stubble burning...Last year, between September 15 and 27, there were some rainy days. Rainy days don't cause fires, as the soil is wet. But this time, if you look closely, there are dry days throughout September 15 through 27."
"We have also observed that our harvest is higher than last year's. Last year, we achieved 20 per cent of our harvesting around the 30th, which we just achieved around the 24th, so harvesting is higher. Accordingly, our cases are lower," he said.
Stubble burning has been a serious environmental concern in Punjab and other northern states, as it contributes heavily to air pollution and poses severe health risks, particularly during the winter months when smoke mixes with fog to create smog. The government has imposed a strict ban to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable crop residue management practices, such as using bio-decomposers or mechanised tools for residue management. (ANI)