With farm fires often spreading rapidly before fire tenders can reach remote villages during the crop harvest season, 14 village panchayats in the Malout Assembly constituency have been equipped with tractor-mounted water tankers fitted with pump and spray systems to act as mini fire tenders.Social Welfare Minister Dr Baljit Kaur said the department had released Rs 5 lakh each to the 14 village panchayats for the initiative.The tankers can be used for supplying drinking water and for immediate firefighting.Talking to The Tribune, Dr Baljit Kaur said the equipment would not remain confined to the villages that had received it. “A mini fire tender can also be pressed into service in neighbouring villages, depending on the requirement. The idea is to ensure that basic firefighting assistance is available within the village itself. This can help prevent a small fire from turning into a major incident and reduce the losses caused by fires in fields,” she said.She said the initiative would also help reduce the workload of the regular fire brigade, particularly during periods when several fire incidents are reported simultaneously.”I had seen a tractor-mounted water tanker and sprayer in a village last year, which has now inspired a firefighting initiative in 14 villages of the Malout Assembly constituency,” said the minister.She further said that the move could encourage more people and village panchayats to participate in preventing fire-related losses. With the equipment available locally, villagers would not have to wait entirely for a fire tender to travel from a distant town before attempting to control a blaze.The initiative also comes against the backdrop of fire incidents involving farmers in the constituency. Last year, following accidental fires that damaged wheat crops in a large area at Sotha and Chak Duhewala villages, Dr Baljit Kaur had donated her one-month salary to the affected families. She later provided Rs 5 lakh and 12 bags of wheat to each of 20 affected farmers from her salary and contributions from locals and NRIs.