Department of Agricultural issues Fire Advisory in Samba

SAMBA : With the onset of the heat wave across Northern India, the Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers’ Welfare, Samba today issued a Fire Advisory for protection of the crops in the region.

Through the Advisory, the Department has requested farmers to be vigilant and watchful towards any fire incident and also to immediately report such incidents to Administration Samba.

The Fire Advisory consists of DOs and Don’ts for protection of crops from wild fire.

The advisory asks farmers to avoid Harvesting Crop beneath high /low tension power lines around power transformers at first instance.

Keeping sufficient gaps in between crop heaps/ stacks. A minimum of 20 feet distance be maintained, Constituting of Panchayats / Village Committees, farm fighting vigil parties and night visit teams; Keeping green branches available in the fields to control fire, staying vigilant while using threshing machines in fields etc.

The department has further advised not to smoke near mature Crops fields, avoiding carrying any burning or inflammable material to the fields, Operating any open cooking Chulah near stacks /heaps of crops , straw or dry grasses, Preparing stacks /heaps more than 6 metres in height & weight of more than 20000 Kgs, Throwing /breaking any glass items inside the crop fields as it may ignite fire and not to burn the straw of crop after harvesting of wheat crop which is otherwise a punishable offence as per the law.

The Department has also issued emergency contact numbers including that of Fire and Emergency Services “101” police “100” or call 01923-243280, 91497525773 in case of any incident of fire /sparking of transformers /short circuits with full details.