Chief Secretary directs top officials of Punjab to conduct regular visits in the districts

Chandigarh, October 19, 2022: Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua on Wednesday has asked the top official of the state to conduct regular inspections in all the districts to take stock of the ground situation of stubble fire incidents.

He said that due to incidents of stubble burning, Punjab has to face embarrassment at the national level as the Supreme Court, National Air Quality Commission and National Green Tribunal have also expressed displeasure over stubble burning incidents in the state.

He said that it is very crucial to access the ground situation of stubble burning incidents, therefore, the concerned senior IAS officers must visit the respective districts for random checking.  Pertinently, the Punjab government has appointed 23 senior IAS in the 23 districts of the state. Officers are placed in charge of districts who supervise the procurement process of crops and implementation of welfare schemes in their respective districts.

The Chief Secretary said during the review meeting with the top officials and all the Deputy Commissioners of Punjab for reducing the rate of stubble burning and stubble management that the entire machinery of the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is working dedicatedly to ensure that the incidence of stubble burning should be dwindled to minimal numbers.

He directed the Deputy Commissioners that farmers who do not burn stubble should be given special honor at the district level, aiming to encourage other farmers as well.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary received the progress report on stubble management of the districts from the DCs alone and issued many suggestions and instructions on the spot. He said that more farmers should be sensitised about not burning stubble by making announcements from religious places of villages and through awareness camps and using other means of mediums.

On this occasion, the Deputy Commissioners said that till now there is a significant decline in the incidents of stubble burning and all are making efforts at their respective levels to this menace it under control this time. The Deputy Commissioners brought many such cases to the notice of the Chief Secretary where after investigation it was found that the stubble was not set on fire.

The Chief Secretary said that so far this year, compared to the previous years, there has been a significant reduction in the cases of stubble burning and efforts should be continued to reduce it further. He said that administrations are more vigilant in the villages where the incidents of stubble were recorded in the past years.