Punjab has seen 743 stubble burning incidents from September 15 to October 26 with 122 cases on Sunday marking the highest single-day count this season.
According to official data compiled by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts account for the maximum number of cases. The state has seen a sharp jump in stubble-burning cases in the past week, from 353 cases recorded till October 20 to 390 on October 26.
The highest farm fire incidents were reported from Tarn Taran (224), followed by Amritsar (154), Ferozepur (80), Sangrur (47), Patiala (39), Gurdaspur (38) and Kapurthala (29).
As the window for the wheat crop is very short after paddy harvest in October-November, some farmers set the stubble on fire to quickly clear crop residues.
According to PPCB data, the total area under paddy cultivation in Punjab this year is 31.72 lakh hectares. Till October 26, 56.50 per cent of this area had been harvested.
Penalties amounting to Rs 16.80 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 329 cases so far, out of which Rs 12 lakh has been collected. The data showed that 266 FIRs have been registered against farm fire incidents during this period under Section 223 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The authorities have also marked 296 “red” entries, including 108 in Tarn Taran and 68 in Amritsar, in land records of farmers who burnt crop residues. A red entry bars the farmers from getting loans against their fields or selling them.
Pathankot and Rupnagar districts have not reported any stubble-burning incidents so far. The other districts with fewer stubble burning incidents include SBS Nagar (2), Hoshiarpur (3), Malerkotla (4), Barnala (6), Moga (8), Ludhiana (8), and Mansa (8).
Punjab witnessed 10,909 farm fires in 2024 as compared to 36,663 in 2023, marking a 70 per cent drop. The state recorded 49,922 farm fire events in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018 with many districts, including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar, reporting the maximum number of stubble-burning incidents.
Also read: Last 36 days, Punjab records 415 stubble burning cases
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