Drones deployed to check stubble burning in Ambala

Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA), Ambala, Dr Wazir Singh said the drones would monitor one village daily to detect incidents of crop residue burning. The system would capture and identify such incidents, with survey data stored securely and details of the fields or locations concerned shared with the district administration daily.

The department has reported a gradual decline in active fire locations (AFLs) in the district over the past few years. Last year, eight AFLs were recorded, leading to the registration of three FIRs.

Meanwhile, untimely rain has left paddy farmers worried, with wet stocks affecting operations at grain markets and threatening to delay harvesting. The Agriculture Department said no crop loss had been reported so far, though the rain was likely to disrupt harvesting.

Farmers at grain markets said thousands of bags of paddy had been drenched despite efforts to cover the stocks, raising concerns over increased moisture levels.

At the Ambala Cantonment Grain Market, secretary Neeraj Bhardwaj said, “The stocks arrived at the grain markets were timely covered to avoid any losses due to untimely rain. However, it has affected the lifting process today.”

In Kurukshetra, more than 60% of the paddy harvesting has been completed, said Deputy Director Agriculture Dr Girish Nagpal. He said no rain-related crop loss had been reported so far.

“The farmers are advised to drain out water in the low-lying areas to avoid any loss. The untimely rain will affect harvesting for a few days,” he said.