Over 1,300 stubble burning cases reported across Pb, Hry, UP, Delhi

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), in a Right to Information response, has said that 1,383 stubble burning cases were reported between 15 September and 29 October

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), in a Right to Information response, has said that 1,383 stubble burning cases were reported between 15 September and 29 October. The highest number of cases were reported from Punjab followed by Uttar Pradesh.

The CAQM said 1,007 cases had been reported in Punjab, 29 in Haryana, 345 in Uttar Pradesh, and two in Delhi (HT)

The CAQM said 1,007 cases had been reported in Punjab, 29 in Haryana, 345 in Uttar Pradesh, and two in Delhi. Noting that total environmental compensation (EC) of ₹18.17 lakh was imposed in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (NCR), it said approximately 75% ( ₹13.57 lakh) has been recovered.

The RTI reply, dated October 30, was filed by activist Amit Gupta, said the figures indicate the scale of monitoring and enforcement being undertaken against stubble burning.

The farm-fire tracking period begins September 15 every year, with paddy procurement starting on October 1. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered one of the factors contributing to the seasonal spike in air pollution in the national capital region during October and November. As the window for sowing wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers tend to set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue.

On Sunday, as Delhi’s air quality index rose over 100 points, data from the Decision Support System (DSS), which estimates the contribution of sources to Delhi’s PM 2.5, said the contribution of stubble burning rose to 18.57% on Sunday from 5.3% on Saturday.

The CAQM response states that, as per action taken reports, received from the state governments during the period EC imposed in Punjab amounted to ₹17.5 lakh, of which ₹13.1 has been recovered. “In Haryana, EC of ₹50,000 was imposed, out of which ₹30,000 has been recovered. In Uttar Pradesh (NCR), EC amounting to ₹217,500 was imposed and the entire amount of ₹217,500 has been recovered,” the reply states.

Giving further details about action taken against the violators, CAQM also said a total of 5,802 FIRs were registered in Punjab and 667 FIRs in Haryana during 2024. To be sure, it did not share what happened to those FIRs.

Speaking on the issue, Gupta told HT, “Pollution in the region is not caused by stubble burning alone. Road dust, construction and demolition activities, industrial emissions, waste burning, uncovered construction material, damaged roads and violations by commercial establishments also contribute to the pollution burden.”