Punjab recorded a whopping 1152 farm fires on Diwali, which proved to be the biggest single-day hike this season. The total number hence rose up from 3307 to 4459, all in a single day, marking a 35 percent increase. This has severely affected the air quality not only in the state of Punjab, but also the nearby Delhi NCR.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) data for today, Mandi Gobindgarh has an AQI of 399, in the ‘very poor category’, while other major cities like Ludhiana (313), Jalandhar (298), Amritsar (234), and Patiala (210), all experienced increased pollution levels as well.
As far as the number of farm fires are concerned, the seasonal tally list has been topped by Tarn Taran, with 654 fires, followed by Ferozepur (592), Sangrur (488), Bathinda (406), Patiala (288), and Amritsar (247). On the day of Diwali alone, Sangrur topped the list with 194 new fires, followed by Ferozepur with 157, Bathinda with 132, Patiala with 92, Barnala with 91, and Ludhiana with 71 fires. This made the total number of farm fires on Diwali alone, 193.
The Punjab Agricultural University’s recommended wheat-sowing deadline is November 15. This rush to clear the fields for wheat sowing before the deadline led to rushed fire; and with the single day hike on Diwali, cases of farm fires in the state shot up from 3307 to 4459. Out of the total number of incidents, some have also been flagged for inspection, and teams have already visited 2998 sites.
With the physical inspection of 2998 sites, an environmental compensation of 62.55 lakh Rupees has been imposed in 1228 cases, recovering 32.60 lakh Rupees so far.
884 FIRs have been registered by the police under Section 223 of the BNS, and 1017 red entries were marked in land revenue records. Along with this, 1103 show-cause notices have been issued to enforcement officers for monitoring farm fires; and 18 prosecutions have been initiated. Till now, no suspensions or formal chargesheets have been processed.
