Chandigarh, July 17- In order to deal with Locust Attack, Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal has directed the officers concerned to make adequate arrangements for chemicals and pesticides to deal with Locust Swarm attack and save crops. He directed the officers to purchase drones and other necessary equipment to tackle this.
The Chief Minister gave these directions while presiding over a review meeting regarding monitoring and control of Locust in Haryana with the officers of Agriculture Department and other officers concerned here today. Agriculture Minister, Mr JP Dalal and Cooperation Minister, Dr. Banwari Lal were also present in the meeting.
While directing the officers to remain vigilant, he said that the locust swarms should be constantly monitored till their presence in the State is eliminated completely. Administration along with Agriculture Department should keep 24*7 vigil on the swarms and should further ensure availability of adequate stock of all the resources required to deal with the insect attack, he said.
During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal, apprised the Chief Minister that since the invasion of Locust swarm attack, special supervision teams have been constituted to tackle the situation and to spread awareness about the same across the State.
He shared that in view of warning regarding potential intense attacks in several districts after July 22,2020, ‘Standing Teams’ of four departments namely Panchayat, Police, Revenue and Agriculture have been made at District, Sub-Divisional, Block and Village level. Besides this, Special Task Force has also been constituted in every district along with setting up an independent stand alone system to monitor all the arrangements to control locust swarms and prevent losses due to crop damage, he informed. Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal said that special training is being imparted to these teams to remain vigilant about locust.
Divulging the details about other measures and arrangements being made by the Department, Mr. Kaushal said that additional quantities of pesticide Lamda Cyhalothrin 5 EC has been stocked as locust swarms in the region had become resistant to commonly used pesticide Chlorpyrifos. Arrangements are being made to stock 20,000 litres of Lamda Cyhalothrin in addition to existing stocks of pesticide, he said.
He said that drones are being purchased for aerial spray of pesticide. As many as 66 fire brigade vehicles are available, as well as 3,540 tractor-mounted spray pumps. The State Government will also acquire fogging machines for use on trees.
He informed that Locust Warning Organisation has warned of more high-intensity attacks in the districts Nuh, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri after July 22, after large-scale locust breeding was observed in district Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. Therefore necessary preparatory measures have already been put in place by the Department.
Sharing the details about other necessary precautions being taken well in advance to stop insect attack, Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal said that along with activation of tractor mounted spraying facility, the Deputy Commissioners have been asked to coordinate and hold daily meetings with the response teams, for quick mobilization, he added. He said that various Whatsapp groups have been formed for timely sharing of the information. Besides this, regular talks are also being held with the officers concerned of the neighbouring states.
Mr. Kaushal assured that the Department was closely monitoring the situation, and farmers in the affected districts have also been urged to stay alert and inform the officials if they find locusts anywhere.