66% drop in stubble burning FIRs registered in a year: RTI

FIRs registered against farmers in Punjab and Haryana for stubble burning dropped by 66 per cent in 2025, falling from 6,469 cases in 2024 to 2,193 this year, according to a Right to Information (RTI) response from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

Replying to the RTI, filed by Noida-based activist Amit Gupta, the CAQM said that stubble-burning incidents across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (NCR region) declined by more than half, from 12,750 cases in 2024 to 6,080 in 2025, a reduction of over 53 per cent.

Gupta said the decline in farm fires did not reflect in Delhi NCR’s winter air quality.

“Despite more than a 50 per cent reduction in stubble burning cases, November 2025 was among the second most polluted in the last five years,” he said, adding, “It’s clear that stubble burning is not the main reason for Delhi NCR’s severe air pollution.”

The RTI response shows that fines imposed on farmers also reduced. In 2024, penalties totalled Rs 21.80 crore in Punjab and Rs 21.87 crore in Haryana. In 2025, fines amounted to Rs 12.58 crore in Punjab and Rs 12.65 crore in Haryana, adding up to about Rs 58 crore over two years.

The data further shows increased use of paddy stubble for alternative purposes. In Punjab, stubble utilisation increased from 5.96 million tonnes in 2024 to 7.06 million tonnes in 2025. In Haryana, the usage rose from 1.55 million tonnes to 1.91 million tonnes during the same period.

Gupta said that while stubble burning should end, a wider focus is needed. “Stubble burning should be totally stopped, but why is no such strong action taken against Delhi NCR’s own pollution, which is a year-long problem?”

Meanwhile, a recent report by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST) said that Indian satellites may be undercounting stubble burning incidents due to limited observational windows.

The study found that many small or short-duration fires are missed by satellite sensors, leading to gaps in official fire counts.