PHAGWARA: To tackle the problem of stubble burning during the upcoming paddy harvesting season, the Kapurthala district administration has constituted a Parali Protection Force, to be monitored by respective Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) and Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs). Members of the force will include tehsildars, agriculture development officers, station house officers, representatives of the Pollution Control Board, block development and panchayat officers, and cooperative society members.
Chairing a meeting on crop residue management at the District Administrative Complex, Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said the district has set a target of collecting two lakh metric tonnes of stubble this year, which will later be utilized in boilers. Public sites for stubble storage have already been identified by the Rural Development and Panchayat Department. He added that the number of stubble burning incidents had come down from nearly 1, 000 last season to around 300, and the administration aims to reduce them further this year.
The DC directed SDMs and DSPs to personally visit 27 hotspot villages—identified on the basis of three or more fire incidents last season—and sensitize farmers about the harmful effects of stubble burning. To strengthen enforcement, the number of cluster and nodal officers will also be increased, with 44 clusters and 200 nodal officers already designated. At the sub-divisional level, officers from the agriculture and cooperation departments will serve as nodal officials. Panchal further instructed SDMs to engage sarpanches, lambardars, and other community leaders to involve them in the anti-burning campaign.
Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora informed that the police will deploy special patrolling teams during the harvesting season to ensure compliance. Meanwhile, the Education Department has been tasked with sensitizing students from classes 10 to 12 about the environmental and health hazards of stubble burning.
The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Navneet Kaur Bal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Varinderpal Singh Bajwa, all SDMs and DSPs, along with officers from the agriculture, cooperation, and education departments.