Patiala, Sept. 28 -- Of the 82 farm fire alerts recorded in Punjab between September 15 and 27, 42% cases (35) have been found to be false alarms with no actual stubble burning. The Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), the agency that collects data regarding farm fires, had reported them as crop fire cases, but when they were verified within 24 hours by the nodal officers, appointed by the deputy commissioners concerned, it was found that no stubble was being burnt. As per the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) action-taken report, only 47 fire incidents - out of the total 82 - could be physically verified by the field officers. The farmer unions have flagged this anomaly, questioning the credibility of the data being used to track stubble-burning incidents. PPCB chairperson Reena Gupta had earlier told HT that the geo-stationary satellite sometimes detects the fire incidents other than the stubble burning: garbage fire or smoke coming from a chimney. A sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), pleading anonymity, said, "We have found incidents where stubble burning was not found despite PSRC reporting it. In some cases, smoke from a chimney or a garbage dump has been detected by the satellite as it detects fire incidents merely on the thermal sensing mechanism." When asked about the anomaly, PPCB officials said they had already shared Standard Operating Procedures with respective DCs to declare "no fire" after physical verification of the stubble burning spot. "If there seems to be an anomaly, the DC can declare it no-fire after taking pictures and videos," said a senior official. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has voiced strong opposition to the punitive action against farmers for burning stubble. At a state-level meeting held in Ludhiana, the SKM, While clarifying that the morcha does not promote stubble burning, criticised "harsh and insensitive" crackdown on farmers who had no viable alternatives for crop residue management. ,...