Despite CAQM’s triple action plan, farm fires cross 2K mark

In complete disregard of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directives, Punjab reported a whopping 442 farm fires on Saturday — the highest single-day spike this season — taking the total count to 2,084.

The central body, which monitors air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, had on Friday directed state authorities to enforce a “triple action plan” to curb stubble burning. The plan mandates simultaneous registration of FIRs, imposition of environmental compensation and making of “red entries” in revenue records against violators.

Officials said incidents of stubble burning have surged sharply after Diwali, with the peak season beginning in the last week of October. After staying above the 200-mark for three consecutive days — 283 cases on October 29, 202 on Thursday and 224 on Friday — the tally breached the 400-mark on Saturday.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district, Sangrur, topped the list with 108 fresh cases, followed by Tarn Taran (49), Bathinda (42), Ferozepur (40), Patiala (33), Mansa (28), Moga (24) and Kapurthala (22).

Cumulatively, Tarn Taran (423), Sangrur (389), Amritsar (212), Ferozepur (207), Bathinda (134) and Patiala (130) account for the bulk of the total farm fires reported so far.

The triple action plan was drawn up after satellite data revealed that farmers were setting fields ablaze in the late evening to evade detection by Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and MODIS Aqua satellites, which capture images during the afternoon and midnight.

The pollution control agencies have been monitoring stubble burning from September 15 and the exercise will continue till November 30.

Gurnam Singh, head of the Paddy Stubble Management Cell of the CAQM, said that the causes varied across regions. “While early sowing of vegetables has triggered a spike in farm fires in Amritsar and nearby areas, the closing window for wheat sowing is prompting farmers in the Malwa belt to burn residue,” he said.

He added that officials have been instructed to intensify deployment of stubble management machinery and ensure that enforcement teams — comprising the police, agriculture and pollution control officials — conduct joint field visits to avoid law and order issues.

Field officers, in their reports submitted to the CAQM, noted that the first fortnight of November is considered ideal for wheat sowing, which is why farmers are hastening to clear fields through burning.

Out of the 1,642 cases reported till October 31, as many as 94 per cent (1,547) were recorded in October. Of these, 87 per cent (1,434) occurred in just 13 days after Diwali, underscoring the intensity of the problem.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has so far registered 467 FIRs, made 555 red entries, and imposed environmental fines exceeding Rs 34 lakh, of which Rs 18 lakh has been recovered.