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No let-up, Punjab records 1,776 farm fires
Punjab reported a 9% hike in the number of farm fire cases recorded on Monday, when it reported 1,624 cases. The Supreme Court had directed the state government to adopt all possible measures to stop stubble burning, which is dubbed as the main reason for poor air quality in the national capital.
There is no respite from raging farm fire incidents as Punjab recorded 1,776 cases of stubble burning on Tuesday, taking this harvest season’s total count to 28,117.
The state reported a 9% hike in the number of paddy straw fire cases recorded on Monday, when it reported 1,624 cases.
The Supreme Court had directed the state government to adopt all possible measures to stop stubble burning, which is dubbed as the main reason for poor air quality in the national capital.
Punjab agriculture director Jaswant Singh said the state government is reviewing the stubble burning situation on a daily basis as 7% of paddy harvesting is yet to be done.
“Our teams are present on the ground and responding promptly in real time to douse the fire and take action according to the course of law. Even the central teams are touring the state to monitor the situation and sensitising farmers to adopt scientific ways to manage stubble,” Singh said.
The director added that the number of stubble burning cases have reduced by 37% than last year but the increase in number of cases at the fag-end is evident as farmers are showing haste to prepare their fields for wheat sowing, which is nearly 50% of completed in the state.
“We are approaching those who are yet to harvest their crop in order to minimise the stubble burning cases in coming months,” he said.
Post the court’s directions, the state government came up with a strict action plan by launching a crackdown on the farmers, who continued to burn paddy stubble, but the government’s measures lasted for two days only. The state police registered over 250 FIRs under Section 188 of the IPC and slapped environmental compensation of over ₹5 crore post November 8.
The cases considerably came down as 639 cases were reported on November 9 and 106 cases on November 10. Due to rainfall across the state, only six cases were reported on November 10.
However, the cases continued to increase from the day before Diwali on November 12 and till date, there is no respite from the stubble burning cases.
According to data from the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Bathinda recorded the highest number of 258 farm fire incidents followed by Barnala 253, Sangrur 188, Moga 181, Ferozepur 176 and 149 cases of stubble burning each in Faridkot and Fazilka. Muktsar reported 138 cases of stubble burning, while Ludhiana and Mansa registered 89 and 62 farm fire incidents.
Last year on this date, Bathinda and Ferozepur reported a lesser 176 and 116 number of stubble burning cases, respectively.
The state reported 2,541 and 4 farm fires on November 13 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The total cases reported in the state during the corresponding period in 2022 and 2021 were 43,148 and 65,259 cases, respectively.
AQI level poorer than last year
Even as the state government made claims of having less polluted Diwali this year, the Air Quality Index (AQI) level in different cities in Punjab is poorer than last year.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Bathinda remained most polluted with AQI level of 387, which is a very poor category, whereas it reported AQI level of 171 in moderate category on November 14 last year.
Patiala remained in the poor category with AQI of 246, followed by Ludhiana 240 and Jalandhar 231.
Mandi Gobindgarh registered AQI of 195, followed by Amritsar 169, Rupnagar 150 and Khanna 107, all in moderate category.
Last year on November 14, Amritsar registered AQI of 124, Jalandhar 118, Khanna 108, Ludhiana 212, Patiala 162 and Rupnagar 143.
Field fires down by 70%: Mann govt
“Co-operative societies and NGOs get 80% subsidy on these machines and individuals get 50% subsidy, and more and more organisations and societies are being encouraged to buy these machines. Varieties like PUSA-44 were banned,” he said at a press conference.
The spokesperson urged the Central government to take similar steps so that this problem can be tackled properly. The Centre should give MSP on 22 crops including lentils and maize and help the state government encourage crop diversification. He also said the state government was successful in keeping AQI in moderate category in the state, even on Diwali.
