Gurdaspur: Hazardous smoke resulting from burning of wheat stubble can be seen billowing out of every other field in the region despite the act being illegal. Fire in fields sometimes goes out of control and leads to fatal incidents. In a recent incident, Sardara Singh, a middle-aged farmer, along with his wife and two children, was going towards Sri Hargobindpur on a motorcycle when fire from a nearby field aided by strong winds trapped the family. The panic-stricken farmer managed to take his family to safety, but not before fire ravaged his motorcycle. District Commissioner Abhinav Trikha had announced a series of measures to check the menace of stubble burning, including registration of criminal cases and disconnecting power supply to farms, but the results are not forthcoming. Officials of the PAU regional centre here maintain that filing criminal cases is not a solution. They said: “Bringing in special legislations or enacting special laws to deal with the problem will be of no use till the farmers are educated about the ill-effects of residue burning”. The situation is particularly bad in Dera Baba Nanak area which has seen a surge in the number of people suffering from respiratory problems. MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa claimed that in the past one week, he had visited the residences of nearly 12 victims who suffered minor heart attacks after they faced respiratory problems due to rising air pollution. “Sucha Singh from my native Dharowali village of died of heart attack yesterday. The lax administration is not taking action against erring farmers, particularly those owing allegiance to the SAD,” said Randhawa. Burning of stubble also poses a grave risk to filling stations and godowns of gas agencies located near agriculture fields. Manjit Dala, a petrol pump owner, said: “Filling stations and gas agencies stock highly inflammable material and one spark can spell doom for them. Despite this, the menace goes on unchecked”. Ban up in smoke Burning wheat stubble not only affects soil fertility as essential nutrients get destroyed, the practice is also a major source of air pollution Farmers are reluctant to give up the practice as they say it is cheapest way to clear their fields for the next crop The menace also leads to major health problems, especially for those suffering from respiratory diseases