Chandigarh, Oct. 31 -- Under pressure from the Supreme Court and the Centre to check stubble burning incidents, the Punjab Police on Thursday said it has deployed around 1,700 personnel, part of the newly formed 'Parali Protection Force', across 353 hotspot villages in the state.

These villages spread across Sangrur, Barnala, Bathinda, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Moga, Faridkot, SAS Nagar, Mansa, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Tarn Taran districts have traditionally reported the highest number of cases.

The step comes after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in September directed Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to set up dedicated enforcement units at district and block levels to control stubble burning.

Senior Punjab Police o...