CAQM reviews high number of farm fires in Punjab
The Commission for Air Quality Management held a meeting with officials from 12 districts to discuss preventing stubble burning.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held a meeting on Wednesday to review steps to prevent stubble burning in Punjab, according to The New Indian Express.
The meeting, presided over by CAQM chairperson Rajesh Verma, addressed the very high number of farm fires in the state. Punjab witnessed a single-day spurt of 584 cases between Monday and Tuesday.
As of November 3, cumulative farm fire incidents in Punjab reached 2,196. Data shows Tarn Taran district accounted for the maximum number of incidents with 545.
The CAQM directed that monitoring and enforcement drives must be intensified. The Commission stated that nodal officers must be held accountable for a lack of monitoring or failure to prevent fires, adding that action will be taken against laxity.
The video conference included the state’s Secretary of Environment, Secretary of Agriculture, and deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police from 12 districts. These districts include Ferozepur, Sangrur, Bathinda, Patiala, Barnala, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Fazilka, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Moga, and Mansa.
A high-level CAQM team led by the Member-Technical is currently in Bathinda to assess the situation at the ground level.