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4h ago

Punjab Maps 663 Stubble-Burning Hotspots, Files FIRs as Early-Season Fires Rise

Supreme Court scrutiny is pushing Punjab to combine penalties with outreach using tech-led monitoring.

Stubble burning: Punjab records 27 incidents in 5 days; Govt intensifies awareness campaign
The season of farm fires has already begun in Punjab with the first blaze reported from Amritsar on September 16. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
Smoke billows as a farmer burns stubble in a paddy field on the outskirts of Amritsar in Punjab on Saturday. (PTI)
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Overview

  • Since monitoring began on September 15, officials have logged 48 farm-fire incidents, led by 32 in Amritsar, with tracking set to run through November 30.
  • Police have registered 12 FIRs under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita with no arrests reported, 13 red entries have been marked, and ₹1.10 lakh in environmental compensation has been imposed in 24 cases with ₹30,000 recovered.
  • The state has designated 663 hotspot villages across eight districts using three years of data; those districts accounted for 6,815 of Punjab’s 10,909 farm fires in 2024.
  • An approximately 8,000-member Parali Protection Force is verifying incidents and filing daily action-taken reports through the ATR app using PRSC geocoordinates to direct field response.
  • Authorities are scaling up farmer outreach and residue management, sanctioning 15,613 machines and running district campaigns to promote in‑situ incorporation and ex‑situ use of paddy straw.