📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Satdeep Gill
Agriculture
Punjab intensifies anti‑stubble‑burning drive as 208 incidents logged in early 2025
✍️ Amar Ujala · Patiala
🗓 19 Oct 2026, 01:45 PM
👁 12
The Punjab government has deployed thousands of officials, imposed fines and filed FIRs to curb stubble burning, yet 208 incidents were reported in the same period of 2025, surpassing last year's record.
Punjab's agriculture department has launched a comprehensive anti‑stubble‑burning campaign, combining farmer awareness programmes with strict enforcement measures. Officials report that thousands of personnel have been posted at field borders, fines are being levied on violators, and FIRs are being filed against repeat offenders.
Despite the heightened surveillance, satellite and ground reports show that fields continue to be set alight. In the first few months of 2025, 208 separate burning incidents were recorded, exceeding the previous year's peak, which had already been described as a record-breaking figure.
State officials attribute the persistence to a combination of delayed sowing schedules and limited access to alternative residue‑management technologies. The government has urged farmers to adopt mechanised solutions such as happy seeders and to avail subsidies under existing schemes, but compliance remains uneven.
The administration has warned that non‑compliance will attract higher penalties and possible criminal prosecution. Environmental groups have welcomed the stricter stance, noting the adverse impact of smoke on air quality in neighboring districts.
The Punjab government says the intensified crackdown will continue until a measurable decline in stubble burning is observed, aiming to protect both public health and the state's agricultural sustainability.
Despite the heightened surveillance, satellite and ground reports show that fields continue to be set alight. In the first few months of 2025, 208 separate burning incidents were recorded, exceeding the previous year's peak, which had already been described as a record-breaking figure.
State officials attribute the persistence to a combination of delayed sowing schedules and limited access to alternative residue‑management technologies. The government has urged farmers to adopt mechanised solutions such as happy seeders and to avail subsidies under existing schemes, but compliance remains uneven.
The administration has warned that non‑compliance will attract higher penalties and possible criminal prosecution. Environmental groups have welcomed the stricter stance, noting the adverse impact of smoke on air quality in neighboring districts.
The Punjab government says the intensified crackdown will continue until a measurable decline in stubble burning is observed, aiming to protect both public health and the state's agricultural sustainability.