Patiala, Nov 11 — Punjab has recorded 5,002 stubble burning incidents so far during the ongoing paddy harvesting season, with authorities initiating action against farmers in several cases, according to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).
As per the PPCB report dated November 10, field inspections have been conducted in 4,185 cases, while stubble burning has been physically confirmed at 1,833 locations across the state.
Environmental compensation has been imposed in 1,574 cases under the Environmental Compensation (EC) scheme, with fines amounting to Rs 79.75 lakh. Of this, Rs 36.40 lakh has been recovered so far.
Meanwhile, FIRs have been registered in 1,155 stubble burning cases, while red entries have been made in the revenue records of 1,342 cases.
Tarn Taran district has recorded the highest number of incidents at 676. Field inspections were conducted on 654 farms, with stubble burning confirmed at 310 locations.
Ferozepur follows with 654 incidents, while Sangrur has reported 566 cases, Bathinda 439 and Patiala 339.
In Patiala district, 339 stubble burning incidents have been reported so far. Of these, 260 farms were inspected, and burning was physically confirmed at 166 locations.
Environmental compensation has been imposed in 115 cases in the district, with fines totalling Rs 5.80 lakh. Of this, Rs 2.40 lakh has been recovered.
Additionally, FIRs have been registered in 123 cases, while red entries have been made in the revenue records of 97 cases. The authorities have also issued 225 warning notices in connection with stubble burning incidents.
The report further revealed that prosecution proceedings have been initiated against 18 supervisory officers for negligence in handling stubble burning cases. These include five officials from Ferozepur and 13 from Tarn Taran. However, no officer has been charged or suspended so far.
According to the PPCB report, Punjab has a total paddy cultivation area of 32.87 lakh hectares, of which harvesting has been completed on 96.10 per cent.
Despite the harvesting season nearing its conclusion, stubble burning continues to pose a challenge for the state administration and the Pollution Control Board. Authorities are monitoring the situation and taking action against those found violating prescribed guidelines to curb crop residue burning and control air pollution.