Overview
- The Commission for Air Quality Management using ISRO satellite data reported a single-day jump of 1,152 stubble-burning incidents on Sunday, raising the season total to 4,459.
- State records show hundreds of FIRs, more than 1,000 land‑revenue 'red entries' and about Rs 60–62 lakh in environmental fines, but authorities have recovered roughly half the penalties and filed only limited prosecutions.
- Officials and farmers point to Diwali fireworks and a shrinking window before the Punjab Agricultural University’s recommended November 15 wheat sowing date as the main motives for the rush to clear fields.
- Central Pollution Control Board readings put several cities in the very poor range for air quality, with examples including Mandi Gobindgarh (AQI 399), Ludhiana (313) and Jalandhar (298), raising immediate health risks for residents.
- Burning remains concentrated in a few districts—Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Bathinda and Patiala—and the current pace makes it likely that this season will exceed last year’s total, so authorities face pressure to improve on-ground monitoring and penalty recovery before November 30.