2,500 fresh farm fires push Punjab tally beyond 33,000-mark; state sounds red alert

Earlier, amid a spike in pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on November 7 directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure crop residue burning was stopped “forthwith”, saying it cannot let “people die” due to pollution.

Thereafter, Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav appointed special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla as the nodal officer to monitor action against stubble burning.

Shukla said Wednesday commissioners of police and senior SP have been directed to sensitise farmers, citizens and various stakeholders about the ill-effects of the stubble burning, which is also “a violation of law” and “action could be initiated against them”.

“All DSPs and SHOs have been asked to hold discussions with sarpanches and farm union leaders to sensitise them about the ill-effects of stubble burning, which not only affect the urban people but each and every individual,” said Shukla, who was on a tour to review the stubble burning cases in Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar districts.

Shukla said 286 FIRs related to stubble burning have been registered at various police stations during the current paddy harvesting season. Additionally, environmental compensation has been imposed in over 3,500 cases of stubble burning, he said.

Meanwhile, Bathinda again reported the highest such cases at 356, followed by 318 in Moga, 264 in Barnala, 262 in Sangrur, 253 in Ferozepur, and 225 in Faridkot, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.

The crop residue burning incidents are on the upswing for the past few days. Punjab had reported 987 such cases on November 12; 1,624 on November 13; and 1,776 on November 14.

The national capital’s 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm, stood at 401. It was 397 on Tuesday, 358 on Monday and 218 on Sunday and 220 on Saturday.

Neighbouring Ghaziabad (378), Gurugram (297), Greater Noida (338), Noida (360) and Faridabad (390) also recorded very poor air quality.