BATHINDA: The crop residue burning got full steam on the Diwali day in Punjab with 1019 cases, the highest so far in the ongoing paddy harvesting season and recording over 1k in cases in a day, taking the count to 5617. Earlier highest count in a day was on Saturday when 902 stubble burning cases were recorded.
2,896 cases have been reported in the last four days which is over 51 percent of the total cases reported so far in the ongoing season. However, only solace is the stubble burning cases are still lower than the previous two years so far even though reason behind it is being put out the rains in late September have delayed the harvesting operations.
Against 1019 burning cases on Monday, the 928 burning cases were reported on the day in year 2020 and no cases on the day in year 2021.
Against the 5,617 burning cases in the ongoing season these were 12,995 in the year 2020 and 6,058 in the year 2021.
The border districts of Tarn Taran and Amritsar in Majha region of Punjab till now are facing more burns as both the districts so far have recorded 2384, which is over 42% of total cases. Both are the only districts to have reported over 1000 stubble burning cases each. The bigger portion of basmati is grown in these districts.
It is for the first time in the ongoing season that three districts reported over 100 stubble burning cases each with Tarn Taran reporting 117, Patiala 111 and Gurdaspur reported 106 burning cases.
Out of 5,617 the 1,311 burning cases have been reported from Tarn Taran district while 1073 cases have been reported from Amritsar district, followed by 565 burning cases recorded in Gurdaspur, 460 in Patiala, 368 in Kapurthala, 293 in Ferozepur, 269 in Jalandhar, 238 in Ludhiana, 231 in Fatehgarh Sahib, 194 in Sangrur, 132 in Moga, 84 in Bathinda, 59 in SAS Nagar, 52 each in Bathinda, Faridkot, 49 in Hoshiarpur, 48 in Fazilka, 44 in Mansa, 36 in Barnala, 26 in Muktsar, 24 in Malerkotla and 9 in SBS Nagar district.
As nearly 37 percent paddy has arrived in the grain markets of Punjab till Monday, the crop residue burning is expected yet to pick up. The nearly 70 lakh metric tonne paddy has arrived in the mandis so far while the government expects to procure 190 lakh MT paddy till the November end.
The state government is making efforts to prevail upon farmers against burning stubble while farmers are adamant on going ahead for state government failed to provide cash incentive. The government has even approached the Akal Takhat Jathedar to make an appeal to the farmers asking them not to burn stubble.
