CHANDIGARH: The states heightened vigil to check crop residue burning cases has borne fruit as Haryana has witnessed a 37% drop in the number of farm fire incidents this season compared to the last year. According to information shared by the agriculture and farmers welfare department, with the maximum, 579, cases in Fatehabad, the state has reported 2,303 incidents between September 15 and November 30, as against 3,661 incidents in the previous year.Meanwhile, Punjab has witnessed a decline of 26.5%, as the neighbouring state saw 36,663 cases as against 49,922 cases recorded in 2022 during the corresponding period.Multi-pronged approach kept cases under controlDirector general of agriculture Narhari Bangar reasoned the multi-pronged approach adopted by the department in addition to an intensified monitoring as the reason of keeping the CRB incidence under control. According to information, the Haryana government provided crop residue management machinery to farmers on 50% subsidy and to custom hiring centres (CHCs) on 80% subsidy. A total of 80,071 CRM machines were provided on subsidy in 2022-23, while, this year, 11,007 CRM machines have been purchased by farmers on subsidy. The officials informed that even the number of farmers making and selling bales has increased this year. Besides this, Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) had also been roped to help farmers dispose of their production. Notably, Haryana this year, for the first time ever, provided Pusa decomposer for 2.5 lakh acres of land in the state. Besides this, punitive action of cops after the directions of Supreme Court wherein they were held accountable to check stubble burning also worked out. Haryana has also incentivised the farmers as well as panchayats for curbing the menace in addition to fixing the support price for stubble. According to information, the state police have registered 185 complaints, slapped Rs 46.90 lakh fine on errant farmers, and issued 1,782 challans. However, a total of 49 fire tenders had been pressed into action to douse the fires across the affected areas.

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