Stubble burning half of what it was last year, says Central air quality panel

New Delhi: Incidents of stubble burning have come down by over 51 percent this season so far compared to the corresponding period last year, according to the Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The panel said enforcement agencies have inspected 8,575 sites in Punjab, Haryana and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh and an environmental compensation of around Rs 58 lakh has been imposed for crop residue burning. “Paddy residue burning events in Punjab, Haryana, NCR districts of UP and Rajasthan and Delhi have come down from 43,918 in 2020 to 21,364 in 2021 during the period from 15 September to 2 November,” it said in a statement. The reduction in fire counts is 51.35 percent in the current year compared to the corresponding period last year. Between 27 October and 2 November this year, only 12,853 farm fires have been recorded as against 23,628 cases in the corresponding period of 2020 - a reduction of 10,775 cases (45.6 percent).