The Punjab government’s strict measures against stubble burning are yielding results, with significantly fewer cases reported this year. As of October 22, only 1,581 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded, a drop compared to 1,794 cases in 2023, 3,696 in 2022, and 5,438 in 2021.
The Supreme Court had earlier criticized the state over rising air pollution due to stubble burning, prompting the government to take stringent action against farmers involved in the practice. In just 22 days, FIRs have been filed against 920 farmers, with fines totaling ₹11 lakh, of which ₹9.72 lakh has already been collected. Additionally, 437 ‘red entries’ have been made. In contrast, the government had waived all fines in 2021, and FIRs were canceled in 2022.
The stricter actions are showing encouraging results. On October 22 last year, 30 stubble burning cases were reported, whereas this year, the number was 71. Despite the reduction in overall cases, AQI levels have worsened compared to previous years, largely due to higher stubble burning on certain days.
Following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has ramped up efforts for stubble management. In 2023, about 15.86 lakh tons of stubble were processed, which has increased to 19.52 lakh tons this year. The state is also setting up 21 new plants to produce briquettes and pellets from stubble, expected to be operational by December 2024.
The PPCB is actively monitoring stubble burning cases from September 15 to November 15. As of now, a total of 1,581 cases have been reported, with 945 incidents occurring between October 10 and 16.
On Tuesday, 71 stubble burning cases were recorded across the state, bringing the total number of incidents this season to 1,581. District-wise, the breakdown includes Amritsar (4), Barnala (1), Faridkot (5), Fatehgarh Sahib (3), Fazilka (3), Ferozepur (10), Gurdaspur (1), Jalandhar (2), Kapurthala (3), Ludhiana (2), Malerkotla (1), Mansa (4), Moga (1), Patiala (8), Sangrur (8), and Tarn Taran (15).