'STUBBLE BURNING IN PUNJAB IS CHOKING NORTH INDIA'

Punjab shattered the record for stubble-burning cases over the past two years on Wednesday.

- TARUNI GANDHI

In a single day (1 November 2023), a staggering 1,921 cases of stubble burning were reported from across the state. The Sangrur district, which happens to be Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's constituency, topped the list with a total of 345 cases, the highest in the state.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board's website, which typically displays fire incidents in the state, went offline a month back and has remained so. This abrupt outage led to widespread speculation and conspiracy theories. Interestingly, the available data until the end of October 2023 seemed to understate stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, shifting the blame towards Haryana.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a scientist working on air pollution at the Punjab Pollution Control Board shared an alarming insight. He emphasised on the paradox of the government's public relations efforts, which seemed to backfire when international entities pointed out the truth. The entire northern region was grappling with terrible air quality, and the Punjab government had diligently tried to downplay stubble burning. However, NASA's live satellite data painted a contrasting picture. Punjab, known as the "Ann-Daata" or the breadbasket of India, continued to choke the entire region with relentless stubble burning.