No let-up in farm fires, number reaches 3K a day

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 28

Even as there was lesser pollution on Diwali this year, stubble-burning incidents reached a high of 2,231 yesterday. The number went up further today to hit an all-time high of 3,105 cases.

At least 2,231 such incidents were recorded on the satellite on Diwali, as compared to 873 in 2017 and 2,111 in 2018. “There is no let-up even today since nearly 3,105 farm fire incidents were caught by the satellite,” confirmed Dr Brijendra Pateriya, Director, Punjab Remote Sensing Centre.

No wonder, people across the region have been complaining of irritation in eyes and respiratory issues for the past two-three days, and doctors in some cities said they saw a heavy rush of such patients, seeking treatment. As smog reduced visibility to a few metres, people complained of difficulty in driving and reaching their destination on time to celebrate Diwali.

Krunesh Garg, member secretary, PPCB, “We have started issuing challans to those burning paddy residue. As many as 90 challans have been issued, and fines worth Rs 5 lakh imposed on violators. From this week on, we will also impose fines on all farmers who do not use combine harvesters with super stubble management systems. We are trying our best to stop stubble-burning in fields.”