Amid blame game, what numbers say: Punjab share in total farm fires 65%, Haryana’s 5%

A break-up of the cumulative figures shows, Punjab has recorded 19,463 (65.6% of the total) farm fires, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 6,218 (20.97%), Haryana with 1,579 (5.3%), Uttar Pradesh with 1,270 (4.2%), Rajasthan with 1,109 (3.7%), and Delhi with two (.006%).

As against 1,579 cases of stubble burning this year till November 6, Haryana had recorded 2,576 dcases uring the corresponding period in 2022. In case of Punjab, the number of active fire locations was 29,999 in 2022 compared to 19,463 this year.

In Punjab on Monday, highest cases were recorded in Sangrur at 509 followed by Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Ferozepur, Faridkot Moga and Patiala where 210, 195, 189, 146, 122, 110 and 89 each cases were recorded, respectively. There was zero case in Pathankot and one in Ropar.

While Punjab has recorded a reduction of 35 per cent in the farm fire cases in the period from September 15 to November 6, compared to corresponding period last year, the figure stands at 38.7 per cent for Haryana. Punjab cultivates paddy on 32 lakh hectares compared to Haryana’s 15 lakh hectares.

In Haryana on Monday, highest 21 cases were recorded in Fatehabad, followed by Jind (16), Sirsa (8), Kaithal and Karnal (4 each) fire cases.

An official, who analysed the stubble burning data as received from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), says: “If the air quality index (in national capital) remains same despite reduction in stubble burning cases by over 35 per cent in Punjab and Haryana, then the problem seems somewhere else. There should not be stubble burning at all, but it’s unfair to blame the farmers all the time”.

The farmer leaders contend that the farm fires can be reduced to almost zero if the related machines are provided to process crop residue. However, officials find it difficult to provide machines to all the farmers stating the same stands redundant after the season of paddy harvesting. The officials also say that they would give over Rs 90 crore to the farmers in Haryana this year as an area of 940 lakh acres has been registered to get the incentive under a government scheme.

The Haryana government offers an incentive of Rs 1,000 per acre for not indulging in stubble burning. However the farmer leaders say it is too less.

“It costs Rs 5,000 per acre if crop residue is disposed off by making bales and the government gives only Rs 1,000 as compensation. If the relief amount is at least Rs 3,000 per acre then the farmers won’t burn stubble,” BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni had recently said.

Meanwhile, Facing criticism over “rising” farm fires, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Monday said most stubble burning incidents are being witnessed in BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He claimed that such cases have declined in Punjab as the AAP government has provided crop residue management machinery to paddy growers to check stubble burning incidents in the state.

“There was a significant decline in the number of crop residue burning incidents in the state this season,” Cheema told reporters here, replying to a question on Punjab being blamed for high air pollution in Delhi.

He also said that farmers were being asked not to set paddy straw ablaze, adding that strict action was also being taken against erring growers.

Alleging that Punjab is being blamed for air pollution under a “conspiracy” by the BJP, Cheema claimed that most stubble burning incidents are taking place in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He also asked the BJP-led Centre to provide funds to these states to manage the stubble.

Meanwhile, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said that burning of stubble and pollution caused as a result is a very serious problem and there should be no politics on this issue.

Vij said the facts and figures speak “loud and clear regarding how much stubble is being burnt in Haryana in comparison with Punjab. Satellite imagery are also giving a true story. But the AAP leaders do not believe in any statistics.” He said, “When the AAP did not have a government in Punjab, then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal used to blame Punjab for the pollution. Now, as the AAP has a government in Punjab, Delhi and Punjab together blame Haryana for it”.

He questioned the AAP leaders, stating that they should also provide an answer as to why the pollution level in Delhi is higher than in Haryana.

AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar claimed that stubble burning in Haryana’s Sonipat, Panipat, Rohtak was leading to smoke that was reaching Delhi but the Khattar government was doing nothing to check it.

“In Haryana, parali is burning at 100 km away from Delhi while stubble is being burnt in Punjab 500 km away from the national capital,” she said.

She charged that Haryana did not do anything despite getting fund from the Centre to prevent burning of paddy straw, while Punjab even without getting funds reduced stubble burning by 50-67 per cent as compared to last year.

She also alleged that BS III and BS IV buses, industrial units and use of diesel generators due to long power cuts in Haryana were also contributing to pollution in Delhi.

Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana on Monday said that farm fires in Punjab was the main reason behind the worsened air quality in Delhi in last 8 days.

“There were 17,000 incidents of parali burning in Punjab in last one month out of which 13,000 were reported in last 8 days alone. On Sunday alone, there were 3,230 farm fires in Punjab, while in Haryana there were only 150 incidents of stubble burning the same day,” Khurana claimed.