Punjab has recorded 4,657 stubble-burning incidents despite ongoing administrative measures and monitoring to curb the practice, with 1,442 FIRs registered and environmental compensation of Rs 7.28 crore imposed, according to the latest data released by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).
Of the total environmental compensation imposed, Rs 3.36 crore has been recovered so far, the report stated.
According to the PPCB data, harvesting has been completed across 93.70 per cent of Punjab’s total paddy area of 32.87 lakh hectares. Administrative teams and monitoring officials continue to inspect agricultural fields to identify stubble-burning incidents and verify reported cases.
As of November 9, inspections had been conducted at 3,845 fields where fires were reported, while physical verification confirmed evidence of stubble burning at 1,675 locations.
Patiala district has reported 299 stubble-burning incidents. Of these, officials inspected 195 locations and confirmed physical evidence of burning at 122 sites.
The district has registered 86 FIRs and imposed environmental compensation of Rs 43.50 lakh, of which Rs 15 lakh has been recovered. Authorities have also made red entries in land records in 35 cases and issued 185 warning notices.
A district-wise analysis shows that Tarn Taran has reported the highest number of stubble-burning incidents at 659, followed by Ferozepur with 621 cases.
Sangrur has recorded 508 incidents, while Bathinda has reported 412 cases.
In terms of legal action, Ferozepur has registered the highest number of FIRs at 365, followed by Tarn Taran with 307. Sangrur has recorded 80 FIRs, while Bathinda has registered 19.
The figures highlight the scale of enforcement measures being undertaken across the state, including field inspections, registration of criminal cases, financial penalties, warning notices and entries in land records.
Despite these efforts, the continued occurrence of thousands of stubble-burning incidents remains a significant challenge for the Punjab administration, particularly as it seeks to improve crop residue management and discourage farmers from burning paddy stubble.
Published: Tuesday, 10 November 2026 | 6:43 PM IST