Patiala: Punjab recorded its sharpest single-day spike in paddy stubble burning this season on November 8, driven by Diwali celebrations and a shrinking window for wheat sowing.
Farm fires jumped 34.8% in 24 hours—adding 1,152 incidents to bring the season’s total from 3,307 to 4,459. The current count has already surpassed the 3,316 fires recorded during the same period last year.
Data from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), based on ISRO satellite tracking, highlights the breakdown of ground enforcement despite government warnings and monetary penalties.
Sangrur leads surge
Sangrur led the single-day surge with 194 new fires (488 total). Ferozepur added 157 cases (592 total), Bathinda 132 (406 total), Patiala 92 (288 total), Barnala 91, and Ludhiana 71 (193 total).
Tarn Taran maintains the highest overall seasonal tally at 654 fires, followed by Ferozepur (592), Sangrur (488), Bathinda (406), Patiala (288), and Amritsar (247).
With 5,114 total fires recorded across the entire 2025 season, Punjab is on track to breach last year’s seasonal count well before official monitoring ends on November 30.
The rush to clear fields before the Punjab Agricultural University’s recommended wheat sowing deadline of November 15 remains the primary driver.
Penalties fail to deter
CAQM records through November 8 show 884 FIRs were registered under Section 223 of the BNS and 1,017 red entries were marked in land revenue records.
A total of ₹62.55 lakh was imposed as fine across 1,228 cases, but only ₹32.60 lakh was recovered.
As many as 1,103 show-cause notices have been issued to enforcement officers and 18 prosecutions initiated, though no suspensions or formal charge sheets have been processed.
Air quality plummets
The burning spike coincided with a severe drop in air quality across the state, exacerbated by the pollution by Diwali firecrackers and seasonal winter inversion trapping pollutants near ground level.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data for November 9 placed Mandi Gobindgarh in the very poor category with an AQI of 399. Other major cities recorded elevated pollution levels: Ludhiana (313), Jalandhar (298), Amritsar (234), and Patiala (210).
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