Chandigarh, Nov 5 — Punjab recorded a total of 2,347 incidents of stubble burning, with the highest number of cases coming from Tarn Taran -- 558 -- as North India continues to grapple with rising pollution levels.
According to a report by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), up to November 4, environmental fines amounting to Rs 40.37 lakh have been imposed in these cases, of which Rs 23.05 lakh has been recovered so far.
Amid the paddy harvesting season in Punjab, incidents of stubble burning continue to pose a challenge for the administration, officials said.
The report indicated that 1,942 fields were inspected, with fires confirmed at 868 locations. Environmental compensation has been imposed in 801 cases. As part of the administrative action, 647 FIRs have been registered, and 'red entries' have been made in the revenue records for 723 cases, officials said.
Additionally, 689 warning notices have been issued by the concerned authorities.
Looking at the district-wise data, Tarn Taran recorded the highest number of stubble-burning incidents, with 558 cases, according to the report.
This is followed by Ferozepur, which recorded 316 cases; Amritsar recorded 207; Bathinda 167; and Sangrur 163 cases.
"This shows that the problem of stubble burning persists across several districts in the state," officials said.
The report showed that 110 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded so far in Patiala. The department inspected 67 locations and confirmed fires at 24 of them.
According to the officials, environmental compensation has been imposed in 15 of these instances. "A total fine of Rs 80,000 was levied, of which Rs 35,000 has been recovered," they mentioned.
Meanwhile, 21 FIRs have been registered in connection with stubble burning, and 'red entries' have been made in the revenue records for 10 such cases. Additionally, 25 warning notices have been issued across the district.
According to a report by the PPCB, harvesting has been completed on 85.10 per cent of the total 32.87 lakh hectares of paddy area in Punjab. Despite this, incidents of stubble burning continue to be reported.
"Departmental data indicates that the administration is taking various measures -- including conducting inspections, imposing fines, registering FIRs, and initiating other enforcement actions -- yet completely curbing the practice of setting fire to fields remains a significant challenge," officials added.