198 new stubble burning incidents recorded in Punjab despite government warnings

According to a report by India Today, 198 new cases of stubble burning were recorded in Punjab on Monday as farmers continued to burn crop residue, ignoring government warnings. With these fresh incidents, the total number of such occurrences in the state during the monitoring period has risen to 4,657.

As per a report by Press Trust of India (PTI), the highest number of stubble burning cases were reported in Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Sangrur districts. Official data shows that Tarn Taran recorded the highest number with 659 cases. This was followed by 621 in Ferozepur, 508 in Sangrur, 412 in Bathinda, 299 in Patiala, and 247 in Amritsar.

Taking strict action in these cases, authorities have provisioned a total fine of ₹ 72.85 lakh as environmental compensation in 1,442 cases. According to PTI, ₹ 33.60 lakh has been collected so far from this fine amount.

The data further stated that during this period, 938 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered regarding stubble burning under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for disobeying public servant's orders.

State authorities have also made 1,150 red entries in the land records of farmers who burned crop residue. These red entries include 310 in Tarn Taran and 192 in Ferozepur. These red entries in land records prevent farmers from obtaining credit against their agricultural land or selling it.

The annual monitoring process for field fires in Punjab begins on 15 September, which comes two weeks before the paddy procurement starting from 1 October. Since there is very little time to sow wheat after the paddy harvest in October and November, some farmers set fire to their fields to clear crop residue quickly. This process of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is frequently held responsible for the increase in air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.

Large-scale stubble burning incidents have also been recorded in Punjab in the past. During the 2025 paddy harvest season last year, 5,114 field fire incidents were recorded in Punjab. Whereas in the preceding year 2024, 10,909 such incidents were recorded in the state, and in the year 2023, this figure reached 36,663.