Under fire, Punjab cracks down on paddy farmers

For first time in 5 yrs, average AQI of state drops below 200 in postharvest season

PATIALA: A day after it came under fire with paddy stubble trebling over the weekend, the Punjab governmentcracked down on defaulters and the result is a significant improvement in the state’s air quality index (AQI).

Punjab’s average AQI improved to 120 on Wednesday from 171 on Tuesday. The AQI of Bathinda, one of the most polluted towns, improved to 95 on Wednesday from 267 on Monday. It’s for first time in five years that the average AQI has dropped below 200 in the post-harvest season.

“Due to strict vigil and penal action against violators, Punjab can breathe easy. Otherwise the state used to be engulfed in smog at this time with the AQI going beyond 300. The credit goes to the farmers who cooperated with the government,” said Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) spokesman Charanjit Singh.

“Though there was a spurt in fire incidents on Sunday, PPCB officials worked in tandem with revenue and agriculture department staff to contain the problem on Tuesday,” Singh said.

As many as 2,111 farm fires were recorded on Saturday, while the number rose to 3,162 on Sunday before coming down to 1,376 on Monday and further down to 890 on Tuesday, PPCB secretary Karunesh Garg said. The PPCB has collected ₹25 lakh as fine from violators so far, he said.

Sangrur reported 375 cases of stubble burning since the paddy harvest season began. Chief agriculture officer Baldev Singh said their department has issued 85 challans to defaulters. Deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said challan sa mounting to ₹8 lakh have been issued and ₹80,000 has been recovered as fine.

Dr Vishal Chopra, a professor in pulmonary medicine at the local Government Rajindra Medical College, said the number of patients complaining of breathing problems has also come down compared to previous years. Speaking at a function in Patiala, Punjab environment minister OP Soni said it is unjustified for Delhi to blame farmers of Punjab for the pollution there. “The smog comprises 85% of vehicular and industrial pollution of Delhi itself. Instead of a blame game, the Delhi government should take steps to control pollution,” he said.