PPCB says no stubble fire in Malout; residents disagree

Muktsar : If Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials are to be believed, not even a single farmer in Malout subdivision burnt paddy stubble this harvesting season. But ask daily commuters on the Malout-Dabwali, Malout-Abohar and Malout-Fazilka highways and they tell a different tale.
The subdivision comprises the Malout Assembly segment represented by Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti and the Lambi segment represented by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
“In all, 653 stubble-burning incidents were reported in Muktsar subdivision and 43 in Gidderbaha, but none in Malout,” said Daljit Singh, Subdivisional Officer (SDO), PPCB, Muktsar.
Kuldeep Singh, who travels on the Malout-Abohar highway daily, picks holes in the SDO’s claim. “The situation was alarming till a few days ago as several fields along the highway were seen burning in the evening. How can the authorities claim there was no stubble-burning incident in Malout subdivision?” he said.
Malout resident Vijay Kumar, who travels to Muktsar daily, agrees with him “I saw farmers burning stubble along the Malout-Muktsar highway last month. Bus passengers used to cover their noses at some stretches as it was difficult to breathe,” he said.
Several village panchayats had passed resolutions to burn paddy stubble. A farmers’ union had even taken out a march in the Lambi Assembly constituency, appealing to farmers to burn crop residue.