Farm fires near 3,000 in Punjab this year, highest ever on Diwali: Official data

Punjab recorded 484 cases of stubble burning on Thursday alone, the highest single-day spike in 2024, taking the total incidents of farm fires across the state to 2,950 so far this year.

Of the 484 incidents, Sangrur reported the highest with 89 cases of stubble burning, followed by Ferozepur (65) and Mansa (40), as per data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

Amritsar recorded the highest number of farm fire incidents this year at 529, followed by another border district, Tarn Taran, with 444 cases of stubble burning. Sangrur is in the third spot in the state with 348 farm fire incidents so far.

Sangrur deputy commissioner Sandeep Rishi said strict action was being taken by the administration against officials who failed in their efforts to prevent these incidents.

He said that eight officials had already been suspended in Sangrur district while cases under section 14 of Commission for Air Quality Monitoring (CAQM) Act have been registered against three employees. He informed that a letter was also being written to the higher officials of the respective departments to suspend the three more officials.

Punjab has witnessed a further uptick in farm fire incidents as districts in the Malwa region started harvesting paddy and burning crop residue. Sangrur, a district in Malwa, alone reported 147 cases of stubble burning over the past three days.

Similarly, Mansa, Patiala, Ferozepur, reported a high number of farm fire incidents over the past few days.

PPCB officials have expressed concerns over a further rise in stubble-burning cases in the Malwa region – which has the highest contribution to the state’s overall farm fire incidents.

“This jump in farm fire incidents is because of only a few districts in south Malwa regions, which are the hotspot areas. Our nodal officers are working on it, and hopefully the numbers will be less than last year,” said a PPCB official.