Chandigarh: Punjab is grappling with farm fires during the paddy harvesting season, but a district-wise review by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has flagged major gaps in ground-level monitoring, with several districts failing to inspect a significant proportion of reported incidents.
In a fresh set of notices issued on November 4, the commission sought explanations from the deputy commissioners of Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka and Jalandhar, as well as the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Barnala, over alleged lapses in implementing measures to prevent stubble burning.
The five districts recorded a total of 405 farm-fire incidents between September 15 and November 3. Bathinda reported the highest number at 148, followed by Barnala (82), Faridkot (66), Jalandhar (57) and Fazilka (52).
The commission expressed particular concern over the gap between reported incidents and physical field inspections. In Barnala, only 28 of the 82 reported incidents were inspected, while Bathinda verified 68 of its 148 cases.
The inspection figures for the other districts were 49 out of 66 in Faridkot, 33 out of 52 in Fazilka and 44 out of 57 in Jalandhar.
The CAQM also questioned why police protection forces deployed to prevent stubble burning and designated nodal officers had failed to identify or report any non-AFL fields showing signs of fire despite the reported incidents.
The commission said these discrepancies raised concerns about the effectiveness of monitoring at the field level.
