Karnal's Stubble Crackdown: How Fines and Red Entries Battle Farm Fires

Agriculture Deputy Director Dr Wazir Singh, on Thursday, said, "We have received about three active fire locations, and we have taken action against these three locations. FIRs have been filed, and fines have been collected," Singh said.

Adding further, Singh said, "So far, a fine of Rs 45,000 has been collected from seven farmers, and we have been issuing red entries for seven farmers, preventing them from selling their paddy in the market for the next two seasons, as per government regulations... The maximum number of cases is from the Garonda subdivision, followed by the Assandh and Karnal subdivisions."

"We started planning two to three months ago. The district administration has deployed more than 750 officers to the field, who go among the farmers and provide them with information about crop exposure and preventative measures... Any farmer who wishes to purchase agricultural machinery is also receiving a 50% subsidy," the Agriculture Deputy Director stated.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Punjab government for the rising air pollution levels in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

In a post on X, Malviya claimed that Punjab's practice of burning stubble is the primary cause of air pollution in Delhi and NCR, rather than Diwali festivities or firecrackers.

"Unless Arvind Kejriwal-ruled Punjab stops burning stubble, Delhi and NCR will continue to choke. Stop blaming Deepawali for the sins of the Aam Aadmi Party it's their smoke, not the festival's lamps or firecrackers, that darkens Delhi's skies. Their dark shadow still looms large over the Capital," Malviya posted.

In addition, the Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also intensified the political blame game, accusing the AAP-led Punjab government of "forcing" farmers to burn crop residue despite the availability of central incentives.

"In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party is in power. Farmers don't want to burn stubble. They even get paid for it now, so that they don't burn it. But they're being forced to burn it. It's printed in today's newspaper. Most incidents happened yesterday. People were masked and made to do it. There's a video of an AAP worker saying, 'We are being forced to burn it.' Who's forcing them? Not us. BJP can't force anyone in Punjab," Sirsa told ANI.

Punjab AAP President Aman Arora has alleged that the central government is attempting to defame farmers in Punjab.

"The way they are blaming the farmers for the pollution clears how much BJP and central government hate Punjab and its farmers... Data by PUSA states that on 21 Oct 2021, 597 farm fires were reported, 393 in 2022, 146 in 2023, 65 in 2024 and 62 this year on 21st Oct... I request them not to defame the farmers and Punjab... We have deployed nearly 1.5 lakh agri-residue machinery and the central government must now incentivise all the farmers from various states to reduce stubble burning incidents," he said.

Meanwhile Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained at 'very poor' levels, with an average of 305 for October 23, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

- ANI