Punjab logs 1,152 farm fires on Diwali, sharpest single-day spike this season

According to the latest data compiled under the Indian Space Research Organisation protocol, Punjab has recorded 4,459 farm-fire incidents this season. Of these, 2,998 fields have been inspected, with 1,317 sites physically verified as cases of stubble burning.

In Short

• Inspectors physically verified 1,317 stubble-burning cases across 2,998 examined fields
• Tarn Taran led affected districts, followed by Firozpur in second place
• Southern and southwestern districts accounted for the bulk of incidents

Punjab recorded its sharpest single-day spike in stubble-burning incidents this season on Diwali, with 1,152 farm fires reported across the state on November 8. The spike pushed the cumulative number of reported incidents to 4,459, highlighting the continuing challenge of curbing crop residue burning despite around 91 per cent of the paddy area having already been harvested.

According to the latest data compiled under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) protocol, Punjab has recorded 4,459 farm-fire incidents this season. Of these, 2,998 fields have been inspected, with 1,317 sites physically verified as cases of stubble burning.

Tarn Taran emerged as the worst-affected district, accounting for 684 reported fire incidents. Of these, 306 were physically verified as stubble-burning cases. The district also recorded the highest number of FIRs and the highest environmental compensation recovery.

Firozpur ranked second, with 592 reported fire incidents, of which 247 were physically verified as stubble-burning cases.

The southern and southwestern parts of Punjab continued to account for the bulk of the incidents, with Tarn Taran, Firozpur, Sangrur, Bathinda, Faridkot and Moga among the worst-affected districts. In contrast, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Rupnagar and SBS Nagar reported relatively fewer incidents.

FINES IMPOSED, BUT RECOVERY LAGS

The enforcement figures also point to a gap between penalties imposed and the amount actually recovered. Against environmental compensation of Rs 62.55 lakh imposed in stubble-burning cases, the authorities have recovered only Rs 32.60 lakh, or around 52 per cent.

Action against supervisory officials has also remained limited. Proceedings under Section 14 of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act have been initiated against only 18 officers so far, while no charge sheets have been filed against them.

The latest figures are significant as around 91 per cent of Punjab's paddy area has already been harvested. Despite this, farm fires continue to be reported in several districts, particularly in the Malwa region and the border belt.

TARN TARAN, FIROZPUR AMONG WORST-HIT DISTRICTS

Tarn Taran has continued to account for the largest share of farm fires this season. In the previous set of figures, covering the period from September 15 to November 5, the district had recorded 586 incidents, followed by Firozpur with 361.

At that stage, Punjab had reported 2,787 farm fires, with 710 FIRs registered over stubble burning. Authorities had imposed environmental compensation of more than Rs 46 lakh and recovered over Rs 24 lakh.

The Commission for Air Quality Management had also reviewed the situation with senior administrative and police officials from 12 districts, calling for stronger monitoring and enforcement. It had stressed that nodal officers should be held accountable for failures to prevent farm fires.

However, the latest Diwali-day spike underlines the difficulty in containing stubble burning, even as the harvesting season draws to a close.

- Ends