Record 33 new cases, farm fire count nears 250

The state witnessed 33 stubble-burning incidents on Saturday, the highest this kharif season so far.

According to official figures, 241 incidents of farm fire have been recorded in the state till now, largely attributed to the delay in the harvesting of paddy crop. Farm fires in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana are often blamed for poor air quality in the Delhi-National Capital Region during winter months.

Meanwhile, the air quality was the poorest in Mandi Gobindgarh among all major cities and towns of the state.

Mandi Gobindgarh’s air quality index (AQI) reading touched 231, followed by Jalandhar (148), Ludhiana (116) and Patiala (101).

As per the AQI standards, the air quality between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’. According to health experts, the deterioration in air quality triggers breathing discomfort in people suffering from with lung, asthma and heart issues. The second highest number of farm fires was reported on October 14, when 31 cases were witnessed. Of the fresh cases, 23 were reported from poll-bound Tarn Taran, while three were recorded in Amritsar.

Tarn Taran also became the top polluting district with 88 incidents of farm fire followed by Amritsar, which has witnessed 80 incidents so far.

Real challenge after Diwali

However, there is 83 per cent dip in the stubble burning cases in the state when compared with the corresponding period previous years.

As many as 1,348 and 1,407 incidents were reported from September 15 to October 18 in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Experts say a combination of factors, including delayed harvesting, availability of machines and strict penal provisions, have led to the drop. However, state officials said the real challenge would be to keep the numbers low after Diwali. Meanwhile, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has imposed fines totalling Rs 5.15 lakh in 104 cases, recovering Rs 3.65 lakh so far.

The police have also registered 119 FIRs, including 36 in Amritsar and 49 in Tarn Taran, under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for the disobedience of orders related to stubble burning. The Revenue Department has also made 81 “red entries” in land records of violators, a move that bars farmers from availing loans, mortgaging or selling land, or obtaining gun licences.

Period till Nov 15 crucial

Officials said the period till November 15 would be the “most crucial” as the bulk of paddy harvesting takes place during this time. Based on data from the past three years, Punjab has identified 663 hotspots across eight districts — Sangrur, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Moga, Barnala, Mansa, Tarn Taran and Faridkot.

These eight districts together accounted for 6,815 of the 10,909 farm fires reported in 2024, nearly two-thirds of the state’s total, respectively.

To enforce compliance, the state government has constituted a “Parali Protection Force” comprising about 8,000 personnel, including 5,000 nodal officers, 1,500 cluster coordinators, and 1,200 field officers across 11,624 villages.