Punjab Sees Spike in Farm Fires Amid Worsening Air Quality in Delhi

Punjab recorded 2,787 cases between September 15 and November 5, with Tarn Taran and Ferozepur 586 cases and 361 cases each, as per official data on Friday. On November 4, stubble burning cases stood at 2,347, the data showed. Till Thursday, there were 221 farm fire incidents in Amritsar, 216 in Bathinda, 240 in Sangrur and 156 in Patiala. Authorities have imposed fines totalling over Rs 46 lakh as environmental compensation in 914 cases, with over Rs 24 lakh already recovered. Officials have registered 710 FIRs related to stubble burning incidents with 294 in Tarn Taran under Section 223 (disobedience of orders promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The annual farm fire monitoring period begins on September 15, two weeks before paddy procurement starts on October 1. Alarmed by the "very high" number of farm fires in Punjab, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and chairperson Rajesh Verma held a meeting on Wednesday with senior bureaucrats and police officers from 12 districts to review steps to curb stubble burning. The meeting was also attended by Punjab state secretary, environment secretary, agriculture and deputy commissioners (DCs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) from 12 districts. With New Delhi's AQI nearly touching 400, the blame game over the capital's worsening air quality started between BJP government in Delhi and AAP government in Punjab. Delhi's environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed his concerns regarding the Punjab government’s claim of a reduction of over 90 per cent in stubble burning. He said the state had registered 494 FIRs by November 3, while prosecution proceedings had been initiated in 16 cases and warning notices issued in 609 cases. (With inputs from PTI)