72% dip in farm fires this year

The number of stubble burning incidents in Punjab remained low, with just nine farm fire cases reported today. Out of these, eight occurred in Amritsar and one in Patiala. While the state witnessed 26 incidents on October 1, 16 were reported on October 2 and eight cases were recorded on October 3.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has intensified its efforts to curb stubble burning. This includes speeding up the penal process, with environmental compensation of Rs 1.85 lakh imposed and Rs 1.7 lakh recovered. The Revenue Department has marked around 50 “red entries” against farmers involved in stubble burning, which will restrict them from accessing loans, selling land, or obtaining gun licenses. Additionally, six FIRs have been filed against violators.

Since the PPCB began monitoring stubble burning on September 15, the state has seen a significant drop of 72 per cent in farm fire incidents compared to the same period last year. A total of 188 incidents were recorded this year, compared to 656 during the corresponding period in 2023.

The PPCB has identified 16 districts and 663 villages across the state as stubble-burning hotspots. These districts include Amritsar, Patiala, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Sangrur, and Tarn Taran. Last year, these regions accounted for 23,410 stubble-burning cases, making up 64 per cent of the 36,663 farm fire cases recorded between September 15 and November 30, 2023.