Barnala AQI hits 1,104 as Punjab farm fires cross 2,100
The Commission for Air Quality Management has summoned officials from 12 regions to enforce a crackdown on stubble burning.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Barnala, Punjab, reached 1,104 as cumulative farm-fire incidents in the state crossed 2,100, according to a Business Today report.
Data shows that Punjab recorded 2,196 stubble fire incidents as of November 3, with Tarn Taran accounting for the highest number at 545 incidents. Other districts with high counts include Ferozepur and Amritsar, while Bathinda and Talwandi Sabo also recorded AQI levels above 1,000.
In response to the surge, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) summoned top district bureaucrats and police chiefs from 12 regions on November 4. The watchdog mandated intensified monitoring and warned that nodal officers would face disciplinary action for any dereliction of duty.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed the Punjab government for the worsening air, noting that Delhi's AQI rose from 60 on October 30 to 377 by November 4. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed these claims as a political smokescreen, accusing the BJP of deflecting from administrative shortcomings in the capital.
Critics have noted that a national allocation of approximately Rs 5,000 crore for crop residue management schemes has largely been underutilised. Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that 28 monitoring stations in Delhi registered severe air quality, with the city's AQI at 389 on the morning of November 6.