Punjab Struggles With Stubble Burning Incidents Amid Rising Pollution

Punjab battles over 2,300 stubble burning incidents during paddy harvest, leading to severe air pollution in Delhi. Authorities impose fines and FIRs as political leaders clash over the cause of the deteriorating national capital air quality.

Stubble Burning Continues Amid Paddy Harvest

Amid the paddy harvesting season in Punjab, incidents of stubble burning continue to be a challenge for the administration. According to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) report as of November 4, 2026, a total of 2,347 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded in the state. In these cases, an environmental fine of ₹40.37 lakh has been imposed by the department, out of which ₹23.05 lakh has been recovered so far.

According to the report, 1,942 fields were inspected regarding stubble burning incidents in the state, with fires confirmed at 868 locations. Additionally, environmental compensation has been imposed in 801 cases. Taking action, the administration has registered 647 FIRs, while "red entries" have been made in the revenue records in 723 cases. Furthermore, 689 warning notices have been issued by the concerned authorities.

District-Wise Breakdown of Incidents

The report said that Tarn Taran district had recorded the highest number of stubble burning incidents at 558. This is followed by Ferozepur with 316, Amritsar with 207, Bathinda with 167, and Sangrur with 163 cases. This makes it clear that the problem of stubble burning persists in many districts of the state. In Patiala district, 110 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded so far. The department inspected 67 locations, confirming fires at 24. Environmental compensation has been imposed in 15 of these cases. A total fine of ₹80,000 was imposed, of which ₹35,000 has been recovered. Meanwhile, 21 FIRs have been registered in connection with stubble burning, and 10 cases have been marked with a "red entry" in the revenue records. The district has also issued 25 warning notices.

According to the PPCB report, out of the total 32.87 lakh hectares of paddy area in Punjab, harvesting has been completed in 85.10 per cent of the area. Despite this, incidents of stubble burning continue to emerge. Departmental data shows that the administration is conducting inspections, imposing fines, filing FIRs, and taking other actions, but completely stopping the incidents of field fires remains a major challenge.

Political Fallout Over Air Quality

Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday contested Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's claims regarding paddy harvesting, alleging that he had misinformed about paddy harvesting and stubble burning. He underlined that stubble burning has severely impacted the air quality of the national capital. Addressing the media at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Shastri Park, Sirsa slammed Mann, claiming that 77 per cent of the stubble has been burnt, according to the Punjab government itself.

"Yesterday, Bhagwant Mann held a press conference and falsely claimed that the harvesting of paddy has not yet begun; however, according to the data provided by his own government, 77 per cent of the stubble (parali) has already been burnt," he said.

Sirsa highlighted that Delhi's air quality witnessed a significant downgrade within four days. he noted that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was 60 on October 30 which climbed up to 377 by November 4. "On October 30, the AQI in Delhi was 60; it rose to 117 on October 31, and by November 4, it reached 377. What happened in just four days to cause such severe pollution in the air that the people of Delhi had worked hard all year to keep it clean? When the air in Delhi was clean, the burning of stubble (parali) had not yet begun in Punjab," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)