Overview
- Official reports put total stubble‑burning incidents in Punjab this season at roughly 5,800, with the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) logging 5,785 cases and a CAQM‑linked report recording 5,835 cases.
- Authorities registered about 2,100 Environmental Compensation (EC) cases and imposed roughly Rs 1.08–2.09 crore in penalties, but only around Rs 40 lakh has been recovered so far, leaving most fines unpaid.
- Enforcement tools used include about 1,600–1,834 FIRs, nearly 2,000 adverse land‑revenue entries and more than 1,600 warning or show‑cause notices to officials and farmers.
- District data show Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Sangrur as the biggest hotspots, with Patiala reporting 388–391 incidents and dozens of EC cases, FIRs and warning notices at the district level.
- Paddy harvesting is essentially complete (about 98%), narrowing the window for new fires, while the agencies’ differing totals and conflicting statements on prosecutions for officials highlight questions about monitoring, fine recovery and accountability going forward.