Stubble burning in Punjab? Not this year, govt unveils aggressive new strategy to stop it cold
Real-time fire alerts sent to field staff via SMS with GPS and Google Maps links
High-risk: More than 30 incidents
Moderate-risk: 10–30 incidents
Low-risk: 1–10 incidents
Satellite Alerts Must Be Verified on Ground
Live Events
Geo-tagged photos
GPS data within 350 metres
Signed verification by senior officials (DCs, ADCs, SDMs, or CAQM observers)
Penalties and FIRs: Here's What Offenders Face
Rs 5,000 for burning on less than 2 acres
Rs 10,000 for 2–5 acres
Rs 30,000 for more than 5 acres
Detection to field verification: Within 48 hours
Penalty issuance: Within 7 working days
Fine recovery: Within 15 days
Departmental Duties Clearly Defined
Department Responsibility Revenue Department Field verification, issuing challans, fine recovery Agriculture Department Farmer outreach, promotion of alternatives to burning Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Monitoring, incident reporting, legal compliance Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) Satellite data analysis and fire detection alerts
Satellite image interpretation
Verification protocol
Digital data entry and compliance tracking
CAQM Calls for Zero Tolerance
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
With the stubble burning season around the corner, the Punjab government has rolled out a stricter and tech-powered strategy to tackle the annual air pollution crisis. As reported by TOI, this year's approach combines satellite surveillance, field-level accountability, and enforcement of penalties, all aligned with directions from the Supreme Court and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).After struggling to control farm fires last year, Punjab has enhanced its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) ahead of the upcoming October–November paddy harvest, the peak period for stubble burning.Key upgrades include:Village risk profiling based on past fire data:District-level planning meetings with DCs, SDMs, and agriculture officials are mandated to conclude by August 1.The Environment Department has made it mandatory for officers to personally verify every "no crop burning found" case reported against a satellite alert. Under the new notification by Secretary Priyank Bharti, such dismissals now require:If any alert is not verified properly, it will be treated as a stubble burning incident, and strict legal action will follow under Supreme Court/NGT/CAQM orders.To deter violations, Punjab has revised the penalty structure for farmers:The process timeline is tight:Repeat offenders and those who don't pay fines will face FIRs under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police have been directed to maintain a separate FIR log for such cases.The Punjab government has streamlined responsibilities for all departments involved:A PPCB official told TOI that all enforcement staff will receive training in:During a July 3 meeting, CAQM chairperson stressed the need for 'zero tolerance' towards crop residue burning. The Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) said, 'This is a collective effort, strict enforcement, farmer awareness, and technology will drive change.'All districts must finalise localised action plans by August 1. These will include high-risk village lists, task allocation, farmer sensitisation steps, and SOP compliance checks.Inputs from TOI
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Heavy rain brings Hyderabad traffic to standstill
Heavy rains brought traffic to a grinding halt across several parts of Hyderabad on Monday evening, as waterlogged roads and peak-hour congestion left commuters stranded for hours. The downpour, which began at around 4.30 p.m., quickly inundated key stretches in the city's West and Central zones. Anticipating trouble, the Cyberabad Police first issued an advisory urging early and staggered logouts from IT offices in view of the rainfall forecast. Minutes later, as roads began flooding and vehicle movement slowed dramatically, another advisory was issued asking companies to hold staff back till at least 5.45 p.m. to ease the pressure on the roads. Despite these efforts, the combination of evening traffic and sudden waterlogging overwhelmed major corridors. The stretch from Raidurg metro station towards the Cyber Towers, the Ikea junction to Yashoda Hospital, and the route from JNTU to the Kukatpally Y-junction were gridlocked, with vehicles inching forward through standing water. Inundation on internal roads and U-turns, particularly near underpasses and flyovers, added to the chaos. Major waterlogging was reported at exit 17 (Himayatsagar) of the Outer Ring Road (ORR), the Angara U-turn in Bachupally, Rajiv Gruhakalpa underpass, Zinkalawada, FCI road in Erragadda, and the pipeline road in Jeedimetla. Stretches near the Ramdev Baba Temple in Sanathnagar, Balanagar metro, Rajendranagar, and the Upparpally segment of Shivarampally also saw knee-deep water slowing traffic. By 5 p.m., traffic across the western IT corridor was crawling. Long queues of vehicles extended along key stretches connecting office hubs to residential areas, as rainwater pooled around clogged nalas, blocked drains, and low-lying roads. Commuters reported that it took more than 45 minutes to cover less than 4 kilometres along the critical link roads. Central Hyderabad, too, was badly hit. The Ameerpet to Panjagutta stretch was flooded, restricting movement across one of the city's busiest arteries. Bible House, Hyderguda, Barkatpura, KCP Junction, Chandrayangutta (Road No. 16), Banjara Hills Road No. 2, Shaikpet nala flyover, Moghal Ka Nala, and the Jubilee Hills checkpost towards Road No. 36 were all severely waterlogged. The Mehdipatnam corridor became a pressure point, with vehicle movement slowing to a crawl between PV Narasimha Rao (PVNR) Expressway pillar no. 38 and the NMDC junction. The Masab Tank flyover and adjoining stretches towards Ayodhya Junction, Shadan College, Nirankari Bhavan and Khairatabad also saw heavy traffic. Many took to social media to express frustration. 'India's fastest growing city brought to its knees with one rain… 3.8 km, 46 minutes and counting (sic),' wrote a commuter on X, posting a screenshot of their Google Maps route on Road No. 3, Banjara Hills. The traffic police continued to share live updates on the ground situation throughout the evening, working in coordination with the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to manage vehicle flow and clear waterlogged stretches. Officers were deployed at key choke points to regulate movement and assist in redirecting traffic, while civic teams were pressed into service to pump out stagnant water and clear blocked drains.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Rising water level: CM asks DMD and other officials to stay alert
Patna: CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday asked the officials of disaster management and all other flood-related departments to remain on alert mode in the wake of rising level of water in different rivers in Bihar. He also said senior officials of flood-related departments must ensure that all necessary preparations to meet the challenges of floods are completed according to the state govt's standard operating procedures (SOP). Nitish was interacting with officials after inspecting the functioning of the disaster management department (DMD) and state emergency operations centre at the Sardar Patel Bhavan here. During the inspection, the CM also inquired about the arrangements and operational procedures at the state emergency operations centre. "The state emergency operations centre is a very useful facility. Operated 24 hours by the DMD, this centre is functioning efficiently, benefiting the people of the state," Nitish said. He also said due to good rainfall in the state, farmers are benefiting in their agriculture activities. "Officials have been instructed to remain on alert," he said. Earlier, the CM reached the Sardar Patel Bhavan to inspect the functioning of the home department and the DMD. He issued necessary instructions to the officials. During the inspection, the CM took stock of the rainfall situation, river water levels, and crop coverage in the state. Development commissioner and additional chief secretary of the DMD, Pratyaya Amrit, informed the CM that there has been good rainfall in the past 24 hours. Rainfall of 25 mm or more has been recorded in 222 blocks of the state. The water levels of the Ganga, Kosi and Burhi Gandak rivers have risen close to the danger mark, but the situation is currently under control. As of Aug 3, the paddy crop coverage in the state is at 79.43%, compared to 67.38% at this time last year. "The state is experiencing good rainfall, which has also improved the groundwater levels," Amrit said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Time of India
Stubble burning in Punjab? Not this year, govt unveils aggressive new strategy to stop it cold
Satellite monitoring in partnership with ISRO and Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) Real-time fire alerts sent to field staff via SMS with GPS and Google Maps links High-risk: More than 30 incidents Moderate-risk: 10–30 incidents Low-risk: 1–10 incidents Satellite Alerts Must Be Verified on Ground Live Events Geo-tagged photos GPS data within 350 metres Signed verification by senior officials (DCs, ADCs, SDMs, or CAQM observers) Penalties and FIRs: Here's What Offenders Face Rs 5,000 for burning on less than 2 acres Rs 10,000 for 2–5 acres Rs 30,000 for more than 5 acres Detection to field verification: Within 48 hours Penalty issuance: Within 7 working days Fine recovery: Within 15 days Departmental Duties Clearly Defined Department Responsibility Revenue Department Field verification, issuing challans, fine recovery Agriculture Department Farmer outreach, promotion of alternatives to burning Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Monitoring, incident reporting, legal compliance Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) Satellite data analysis and fire detection alerts Satellite image interpretation Verification protocol Digital data entry and compliance tracking CAQM Calls for Zero Tolerance (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With the stubble burning season around the corner, the Punjab government has rolled out a stricter and tech-powered strategy to tackle the annual air pollution crisis. As reported by TOI, this year's approach combines satellite surveillance, field-level accountability, and enforcement of penalties, all aligned with directions from the Supreme Court and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).After struggling to control farm fires last year, Punjab has enhanced its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) ahead of the upcoming October–November paddy harvest, the peak period for stubble upgrades include:Village risk profiling based on past fire data:District-level planning meetings with DCs, SDMs, and agriculture officials are mandated to conclude by August Environment Department has made it mandatory for officers to personally verify every "no crop burning found" case reported against a satellite alert. Under the new notification by Secretary Priyank Bharti, such dismissals now require:If any alert is not verified properly, it will be treated as a stubble burning incident, and strict legal action will follow under Supreme Court/NGT/CAQM deter violations, Punjab has revised the penalty structure for farmers:The process timeline is tight:Repeat offenders and those who don't pay fines will face FIRs under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police have been directed to maintain a separate FIR log for such Punjab government has streamlined responsibilities for all departments involved:A PPCB official told TOI that all enforcement staff will receive training in:During a July 3 meeting, CAQM chairperson stressed the need for 'zero tolerance' towards crop residue burning. The Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) said, 'This is a collective effort, strict enforcement, farmer awareness, and technology will drive change.'All districts must finalise localised action plans by August 1. These will include high-risk village lists, task allocation, farmer sensitisation steps, and SOP compliance from TOI
