At 1,152, Punjab records season's biggest single-day jump in farm fires on Diwali

PATIALA: Punjab witnessed its sharpest single-day spike in paddy stubble-burning incidents this season on Diwali, with 1,152 farm fires reported across the state, according to official data.

Last year on Diwali, which fell on October 20, only 45 farm fires were recorded. However, only 32 per cent of the total paddy sown in Punjab had been harvested till October 20 last year as against nearly 92 per cent till November 8 this year.

Till November 30 last year, Punjab saw a total of 5,114 farm fires. On November 8 last year, the total number of farm fires in the state stood at 3,622.

The annual farm fire monitoring period begins on September 15, two weeks before paddy procurement starts on October 1 and continues till November end.

The data showed that the highest number of farm fires this season has been reported from Tarn Taran at 654.

The latest figures indicate a significant rise in crop residue burning despite government advisories, enforcement measures and monetary penalties aimed at discouraging the practice.

With 194 fires, Sangrur recorded the highest number of stubble-burning incidents on Sunday, taking its seasonal tally to 488. Ferozepur reported 157 incidents, bringing its total to 592; and Bathinda added 132 cases, taking its count to 406.

Patiala recorded 92 fresh farm fires, raising its cumulative tally to 288. Barnala reported 91 new incidents and Ludhiana 71.

The data showed that till Sunday, enforcement agencies had registered 884 FIRs under Section 223 (disobedience of orders promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and marked 1,017 red entries in land revenue records against farmers found burning stubble.

Fines totalling over Rs 62 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 1,228 cases of stubble burning, with over Rs 32 lakh already recovered.

Recently, taking a serious view of the "very high" number of farm fires in Punjab, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held a meeting with senior bureaucrats and police officers from 12 districts to review steps to prevent stubble burning.

The CAQM directed that the monitoring and enforcement drive must be intensified and nodal officers must be held accountable for lack of monitoring and for failure to prevent farm fires.