Stubble burning cases cross 3,000 mark in Punjab; Tarn Taran tops list

Chandigarh: The number of stubble burning incidents in Punjab has crossed the 3,000 mark, with Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Sangrur accounting for the bulk of the cases, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) said on Saturday.

According to the PPCB data, the state recorded 3,144 farm fire incidents between September 15 and November 6, up from 2,787 cases reported till November 5.

Tarn Taran reported the highest number of farm fires at 611, followed by Ferozepur at 410, Sangrur at 281, Bathinda at 262 and Amritsar at 231, the data showed.


Read more: 2,787 cases of stubble burning recorded in Punjab, fines totaling Rs 46.10 lakh imposed

Fines amounting to Rs 54.55 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 1,077 cases so far, of which Rs 30.05 lakh has been recovered, according to PPCB data.

The data also showed that 795 FIRs were registered against farm fire incidents during this period under Section 223 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

State authorities have also made 931 red entries in the land records of farmers found burning crop residues, including 301 in Tarn Taran and 98 in Ferozepur.

Read more: SC questions recurring Delhi-NCR pollution, flags vehicle emissions as major contributor

A red entry bars farmers from getting loans against their farmland or selling it.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

With the window for the Rabi crop, wheat, being very short after paddy harvest in October and November, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue.

Punjab recorded 5,114 farm-fire incidents during the 2025 paddy harvesting season. The state had reported 10,909 such incidents in 2024, compared to 36,663 in 2023.