At 2,067, stubble fires double in a day in Punjab
In a major spike in the stubble burning, Punjab recorded 2,067 farm fires on Friday, which is not only the highest of this season so far but is almost double the previous day’s figures
In a major spike in the stubble burning, Punjab recorded 2,067 farm fires on Friday, which is not only the highest of this season so far but is almost double the previous day’s figures. Sangrur — the home turf of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and an epicentre of farmers’ protest — recorded 297 cases - the highest in the state. On Thursday, Punjab recorded 1,111 farm fire incidents.
Satellites of Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), Ludhiana, detected 2,067 active fire incidents in the state on October 28. Whereas on the same day (October 28) in the year 2020, 2,989 active fire events were captured by the satellite, while in the year 2021, there were 761 active fire events recorded in the state.
After Diwali, Punjab has seen a major spike in farm fires. Despite the efforts of the Punjab government, the farm fires are going unabated, and the number has already surpassed the previous year’s figures for the corresponding time period.
A total of 10,214 cases have been reported till date, which is almost 25% higher than the previous year. Last year, the figure was 7,503, while in the year 2020, a total of 21,646 cases were reported till October 28.
Now, major fires are being reported from the Malwa region. After Sangrur, Patiala recorded 274 cases, while Ferozepur reported 131 cases, and Bathinda recorded 124 cases. In Doaba, Kapurthala recorded 137, while Jalandhar reported 131 cases.
“We are helpless and can’t stop farm fires as we have no support from the administration. We are only motivating the farmers to stop stubble burning,” said an Agriculture department official in Sangrur, who did not wish to be named. He said that farmers are opposing the visits of field staff to challan them.
