Overview
- The Commission for Air Quality Management has placed flying squads in 34 districts of Punjab and Haryana on a phased schedule running from October 1 to November 30 to monitor the paddy harvest period.
- Teams will conduct daily ground-level checks, report situation updates to the CAQM cell at SAS Nagar and work with the Parali Protection Force, state pollution boards and district officers to prevent fires.
- CAQM’s October 5 report shows early enforcement in Punjab after 84 reported fire incidents with 78 field inspections, 30 confirmed crop-residue burn sites, 28 environmental compensation orders totaling Rs 1.40 lakh and one FIR.
- Amritsar has emerged as the largest hotspot in Punjab with 49 reported incidents, 45 inspections and 13 confirmed burning locations, and district-level penalties and warning notices already issued there.
- Sustained patrols and daily reporting are meant to protect Delhi-NCR winter air quality, but partial penalty recoveries and repeated hotspots show authorities will need ongoing coordination with farmers and local officials to achieve compliance.