According to Haryana's Agri Minister, Punjab witnessed 1,921, 1,668 and 1,551 farm fires between 1-3 November, while Haryana stood at 99, 48, and 28.
Published Nov 06, 2023 | 1:14 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 06, 2023 | 1:14 PM
Stubble burning. (Wikimedia)
Already warring on the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) issue, Haryana and Punjab are now at loggerheads over stubble burning.
With eight districts of Haryana making it to the top 12 with the worst air quality in the country, the Haryana government has accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of failing to curtail the menace and pushing the entire NCR and Haryana into the gas chamber.
The worst-hit districts include Fatehabad with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 466, Faridabad (438), Jind (432), Hisar (425), Sonepat (416), Kaithal (415), Sirsa (414), and Gurugram (404).
Taking to social media Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Parkash Dalal said, “We have demanded water from Kejriwal ji and Bhagwant Mann ji, not smoke of paddy stubble.”
Responding to the Punjab and Delhi government’s accusations of Haryana having an equal share in stubble burning, Dalal shared statistics regarding farm fires in Punjab and Haryana from 1 November to 3 November.
As per the data shared by him, Punjab witnessed 1,921, 1,668 and 1,551 farm fires on 1, 2, and 3 November, while the number of such incidents in Haryana on the said dates stood at 99, 48, and 28, respectively.
Meanwhile, Punjab, on Sunday, 5 November, reported the highest number of farm fire incidents this season with 3,230 instances. The number has drawn national ire as Delhi NCR has moved on to implement stage 4 of GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan), the strictest one yet, which is bound to bring it to a halt.
According to Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data, the state has till date reported 17,403 instances of stubble burning, wherein Sangrur reported the maximum number of farm fire incidents at 551. The other districts included Ferozepur (299), Mansa (293), Bathinda (247), Barnala (189), Moga (179), Tarn Taran (177), and Patiala (169).
As per the data, farm fire incidents in November constituted 56 percent of the total number of incidents this season. The data reported that the stubble-burning incidents registered from 15 September to 5 November this year are 41 percent less than the 29,400 recorded during the corresponding period in 2022.
The farm fires are also taking a toll on overall air quality in Punjab as well, which is fast depleting. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Bathinda recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 375, Mandi Gobindgarh at 291, Khanna at 255, Patiala at 248, and Ludhiana at 243.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51-100 “satisfactory”, 101-200 “moderate”, 201-300 “poor”, 301-400 “very poor”, and 401-500 “severe”.
Taking a stern stance on a video showing Bhatinda farmers holding a government official hostage and forcing him to burn stubble, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered an FIR against the accused.
Acting on orders, the Punjab Police has registered a case against these farmers in Bathinda. The concerned official was part of a team to prevent farm fires.
Bathinda Police registered a case under relevant sections — Section 353 (assaults or use of criminal force against public servant in the execution of his duty), 186 (obstructing any public servant in discharge of public functions), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement, 506 (criminal intimidation) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code in the matter.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the state government cannot be a mute spectator to this “heinous” incident and allow “anarchy” to prevail.
“The government official had gone there with a message of not burning stubble but the ‘mobsters’ forced him to light it with a match stick. Such people are ruining the lives of their own children by this ‘dastardly act’ as the smoke from these fields will suffocate their kids also,” said Mann.
Citing “Gurbani”, the Punjab Chief Minister said the verse “Pawan Guru, Paani Pitaah, Mata Dharat Mahat” shows how the Sikh gurus equated air (pawan) with teacher, water (paani) with father, and land (dharat) with mother.
“This incident has reflected that their words are not honoured by the people of the state. Such activities will not be tolerated at any cost and severest of severe action will be taken as per the law of the land,” he added.
Courting a new controversy, Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai, on Sunday, said that the stubble burning in Punjab does not have as much impact on the national capital as the smoke is coming from farm fires in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The minister said, “Union government figures show that less stubble has been burned in Punjab this year in comparison to last year. Punjab’s stubble smoke does not have as much impact on Delhi as that of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.”
“This is because there is no movement in the wind. Only if the wind blows, the smoke of Punjab will reach Delhi. Right now, there is smoke all around Delhi. The smoke of stubble from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is reaching Delhi,” said Rai.
This led to a huge uproar from political parties which are already accusing Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The Punjab and Haryana units of the BJP and the Congress claim that while Kejriwal spent years accusing Punjab of polluting Delhi and promising solutions, he now sits quiet as it’s his own party government that is ruling and “failing” in the state.
