Stubble burning cases in Punjab cross 500 despite govt efforts: PPCB data

Punjab recorded 28 fresh stubble burning incidents on Thursday, taking the total farm fire count to 512 since September 15, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data showed.

The state saw a jump of 324 crop residue burning incidents from the 188 cases recorded till October 16, the data further showed.

According to the data, the highest number of farm fires were reported in Tarn Taran at 159, followed by Amritsar at 133, Ferozepur 58, Patiala 32 and Gurdaspur 25, as many farmers continue to ignore government appeals to stop crop residue burning.

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

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

Fines amounting to Rs 13.25 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 246 cases so far, according to PPCB data. Of the total fine, Rs 8.95 lakh has been collected so far.

The data also showed that 215 FIRs, including 68 in Tarn Taran and 58 in Amritsar, 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 marked 214 red entries, mostly in Tarn Taran and Amritsar, in land records of farmers who burnt crop residues.

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

According to PPCB data, the total area under paddy cultivation in Punjab this year is 31.72 lakh hectares. Till October 23, 40.65 per cent of this area had been harvested.

While the state government has launched a campaign to highlight the ill-effects of stubble burning and the benefits of crop residue management, many farmers still use the former method to clear crop residues.

Meanwhile, Cabinet minister Aman Arora said the state has witnessed a 90 per cent decline in stubble burning incidents during the September 15 to October 21 period in comparison to farm fires in the corresponding period in 2021.

He said the number of stubble burning incidents stood at 415 during September 15 to October 21 as compared to 4,327 in 2021.

Arora further said the state saw 62 crop residue burning incidents on October 21 while it was 597 on the same day in 2021.

The reduction in stubble burning incidents, according to the minister, was possible because of the concerted efforts of the state government and the immense cooperation of farmers.

Arora further said the state government has provided over 1.50 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines to farmers at subsidised rates to manage the paddy straw effectively.

He also appealed to farmers to join the mission to bring stubble burning cases to zero, while assuring them of the government's unwavering commitment and support.

Punjab saw 10,909 farm fires in 2024 as compared to 36,663 in 2023, registering a 70 per cent decrease in the practice.

The state recorded 49,922 farm fire events in 2022, 71,304 in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019 and 50,590 in 2018, with many districts, including Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda and Amritsar, witnessing large number of stubble burning incidents.