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Spike in Punjab farm fires kicks off BJP-AAP row
Nearly 200 new farm fires were reported in Punjab on Monday, bringing the seasonal total to 4,657. The spike followed 1,152 incidents on Sunday.
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With nearly 200 fresh stubble-burning incidents reported in Punjab on Monday, the cumulative tally this paddy harvesting season rose to 4,657, according to the latest monitoring report of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
Monday’s figure came a day after the state recorded its sharpest single-day spike, with 1,152 farm fires reported on Sunday. This means nearly 30% of all stubble-burning incidents recorded this season occurred in just 48 hours.
Political blame-game over the surge
The sudden surge also triggered a political blame-game, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government alleging a tenfold increase in farm fires on Diwali, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs Punjab, accused it of deflecting attention from its failure to curb firecracker use in Delhi.
At a press conference on Monday, Delhi cabinet minister Kapil Mishra described the sudden spike in stubble-burning incidents on Diwali as “suspicious” and urged Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to order an investigation and register FIRs wherever fields were deliberately set on fire.
Also Read | BJP alleges conspiracy to worsen Delhi pollution, claims Punjab farm fires were ‘deliberate’
Mishra said the Delhi government had examined satellite data showing a sharp rise in reported fire locations in Punjab on Diwali compared with the preceding three days. “Satellite data showed around 100 to 125 fire incidents each on November 5, 6 and 7, while the figure rose to nearly 1,200 on November 8,” he said.
He also called for the examination of phone records of local representatives in the affected areas. Mishra further alleged that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Punjab’s Malout, Abohar and Sangrur had crossed 1,200, with Sangrur recording an AQI of 1,651 in the early hours of Monday.
AAP rejects claims about Delhi’s pollution
Responding to the allegations, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed the suggestion that the sudden increase in Punjab’s farm fires could explain Delhi’s pollution levels immediately after Diwali.
“Even if your Punjab theory is believed, smoke takes 2-3 days to travel from Punjab to Delhi. Stubble burnt on Diwali night in Punjab cannot reach Delhi in 10 minutes. Have some shame and stop committing fraud with Delhi’s AQI data. People can get very sick and even die because of your pollution data manipulation,” he said in a post on X.
Also Read | AQI at the station nearest you | The Air We Breathe
Bharadwaj accused the Delhi government of manipulating pollution data and endangering lives by shutting down air-quality monitoring stations overnight and spraying water around them. He also alleged that monitoring stations had been installed near green areas and that water was being sprinkled around them to influence readings.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, meanwhile, claimed that there had been no unprecedented rise in Delhi’s air pollution on the morning after Diwali, indicating that firecrackers could not be held responsible for the deterioration in air quality.
“Every year, the central government gives crores of rupees to the Punjab government for managing stubble burning. Where does the money go? The Punjab government should tell us,” he said, alleging that people associated with the AAP were deliberately setting agricultural fields on fire as part of a conspiracy. He also accused the Punjab government, in power since 2022, of failing to take concrete steps to prevent stubble burning.
Also Read | SC turns focus to vehicular pollution, seeks action plan from Delhi, 3 states
District figures and enforcement action
The CAQM data showed that Ludhiana recorded the highest number of fresh incidents on Monday, with 33, followed by Ferozepur (29), Fazilka (22) and Sangrur (20). Muktsar reported 13 fresh incidents, while Patiala added 11 and Moga 10.
In the cumulative district-wise tally, Tarn Taran continued to lead with 659 farm fires, followed by Ferozepur (621) and Sangrur (508). Bathinda (412) and Patiala (299) were the other major contributors. Amritsar and Barnala reported 247 and 245 incidents, respectively.
Enforcement figures also showed an increase in action against violators. Environmental compensation had been imposed in 1,442 cases, up from 1,228 a day earlier. The number of FIRs rose from 884 to 938, while red entries in farmers’ land records increased from 1,017 to 1,150.
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