At least 47 incidents of Punjab stubble burning have been reported in the past five days. Amritsar, already hit by floods, saw 32 farm fires, followed by Patiala with six and Tarn Taran with five. One case each surfaced in Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur and Bathinda.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) fined farmers a total of Rs 50,000, though no arrests were made. Data was collected by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre at PAU, Ludhiana, which began monitoring on September 15. The survey will run until November 30.
The Supreme Court recently asked the state why errant farmers should not be arrested to send a strong signal. Farm fires are among the main reasons behind winter pollution in Delhi-NCR.
Experts warn that despite severe floods damaging paddy, farm fires may still rise. With harvesting delayed, farmers will have only a short time before sowing wheat. This pressure could lead to more Punjab stubble burning during Diwali season.
Farmer leaders say they do not wish to pollute but demand incentives. They argue machines are too costly for small farmers and seek Rs 300 per quintal support for residue management.
