CHANDIGARH: Punjab recorded 122 new cases of stubble burning, marking the highest single-day spike this year. This takes the total count this season to 743.
This is the first time in 2025 that the state recorded farm fire incidents in three digits.
Approximately 58 per cent of the total 31.7 lakh hectares of paddy have been harvested across the state till now. In the coming days, crop residue might increase as farmers harvesting the crop after November 2 will have a limited window to sow wheat.
As per the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data, Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts contributed the bulk of cases, as many farmers continued to disregard the state government's appeal to stop crop residue burning.
Of the 122 crop residue incidents, nearly 70 were reported from the south Malwa region. The highest farm fire incidents were reported from Tarn Taran at 224, followed by Amritsar 154, Ferozepur 80, Sangrur 47, Patiala 39, Gurdaspur 38, Kapurthala 29, Mansa, Moga and Ludhiana 8 respectively, Barnala 6, Maelrkotla 4, Hoshiarpur 3 and SBS Nagar 2.
Meanwhile, Pathankot and Rupnagar districts have not reported any stubble-burning incidents so far.
The state has seen a sharp jump in stubble-burning cases in the past week, from 353 cases recorded till October 20 to 390, the data showed.
This comes even as data from the Centre’s Decision Support System (DSS) showed the estimated contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s pollution touched a season-high of 3.71 per cent on Sunday.
Farm fires can contribute up to 35 per cent of Delhi’s total PM 2.5 levels when stubble burning touches its peak, usually in the first week of November.
Agriculture scientists have cautioned that farmers are more likely to resort to burning crop residue to prepare fields quickly as the time window of wheat sowing is shrinking.
According to the Punjab Agricultural University, wheat sowing must ideally be completed by November 15 to ensure optimal yield. "Till now, only 58 percent of the total 31.7 lakh hectares under paddy has been harvested, while farmers harvesting after November 1 will have a very limited window to sow wheat, which may lead to a surge in stubble burning in the coming days,” said an official of the Punjab agriculture department.
Meanwhile, paddy harvesting in Amritsar and Tarn Taran has touched the 85 per cent mark, but in Muktsar, Ferozepur, Barnala, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Mansa and Ferozepur districts, known for high-yield paddy cultivation, which contributes the most to stubble burning, is still below 50 per cent mark.
Punjab Police have so far registered 266 FIRs against farmers for violating stubble-burning norms. Of these, 73 FIRs have been lodged in Tarn Taran alone, the district reporting the highest number of farm fire incidents.
The farmers have been booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant.
Fines amounting to Rs 16.80 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 329 cases, of which Rs 12 lakh has been collected. Also, 296 ‘red’ entries have been marked, including 108 in Tarn Taran and 68 in Amritsar, in the land records of farmers who burnt crop residues.
A red entry bars the farmers from getting loans against their farmland or selling it.
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. Punjab saw 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 a large number of stubble-burning incidents.
