Farm fires peak again, Punjab sees 283 new cases in a day

Touching yet another peak this season, a whopping 283 stubble burning incidents were reported across Punjab on Tuesday, taking the total count to 1,216.

Pollution control agencies began monitoring stubble burning from September 15 and will continue their work till November 30. Officials said farm fire incidents had surged sharply after Diwali. Of the 1,216 total cases, 1,008 — around 82 per cent — had been reported in just the past 12 days (October 18–29).

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district Sangrur emerged the biggest polluter with 79 incidents, followed by Ferozepur (32) and Patiala (25). The bypoll-bound Tarn Taran district reported 43 farm fire cases, while Bathinda (19), Mansa (16), Kapurthala (12), Barnala (11) and Malerkotla (10) also contributed to the tally.

Cumulatively, Tarn Taran (296), Amritsar (173), Sangrur (170) and Ferozepur (123) have accounted for the bulk of the cases so far, according to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data, as many farmers continue to defy government appeals to shun the practice.

Cracking down on violators, the PPCB has registered 90 FIRs and made 129 red entries since October 25. In total, 331 FIRs and 405 red entries have been filed this season. The authorities have also imposed environmental compensation worth Rs 22.6 lakh, of which Rs 14.8 lakh has been recovered so far.

Meanwhile, the air quality continued to hover around the poor category in most major cities — Jalandhar (224), Ropar (106), Ludhiana (138), Mandi Gobindgarh (197) and Patiala (186). However, Amritsar (76) and Bathinda (78) showed some improvement, with AQI levels in the satisfactory range.