Four-fold reduction in farm fire cases, says Punjab government
Chandigarh, Oct 22
The Punjab government on Wednesday claimed that sustained efforts by the civil administration and the police to prevent stubble burning have yielded significant results, with the state witnessing a near four-fold reduction in farm fire cases this year compared to the same period in the previous two years.
According to official data compiled from September 15 to October 21, the state has recorded a mere 415 cases of farm fires in 2025.
"This marks a staggering decline from the 1,510 incidents reported in 2024 and 1,764 incidents in 2023 during the same critical period," the government said in a statement.
Complying with the directions of the Supreme Court and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to bring down stubble burning cases to zero, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav and Special DGP, Law and Order, Arpit Shukla, have been monitoring the action against stubble burning.
The DGP has also been holding meetings with all the senior officers, Range Officers, CPs and SSPs and Station House Officers (SHOs) to personally review the cases of stubble burning on a day-to-day basis, said the statement.
Special DGP Shukla said police teams, along with civil administration, have been making efforts at the ground level to curb the menace of stubble burning.
He said senior officials have been conducting joint tours at villages, which have been identified as stubble burning hotspots and holding public awareness meetings with various farmer and kisan unions at the district and sub-divisional level.
As many as 251 joint tours were made by Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police, and 90 joint tours were made by the Subdivisional Magistrates and Deputy Superintendents of Police in the last few days, during which they held 2,381 public awareness meetings.
Also, the Parali Protection Force has also been constituted at the police station level, which has been keeping vigil as well as sensitising farmers about the ill-effects of putting a matchstick to the crop residue.
The Special DGP said legal action is being initiated against those found burning stubble. Till now, 415 farm fires were detected by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PSRC), and joint teams were sent for inspection on the spot, he said, while adding that police teams have registered first information reports (FIRs) in 172 cases and imposed penalties in 189 cases.
Red entries have also been made in the revenue records of 165 farmers, he said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While the reduction is impressive, I'm concerned about the farmers. Are we providing them with affordable alternatives? Burning stubble is the cheapest option for them. The government should focus more on subsidy for machinery.
Great initiative! The Parali Protection Force and public awareness meetings are good steps. But I wonder if these numbers are accurate or just for show? We need independent verification. Still, any improvement is welcome! 🌾
As someone who lives in NCR, this is such a relief! The air quality has been terrible every winter due to stubble burning. Hope this trend continues and we can breathe easier this season. ðŸ™
The enforcement seems quite strict with FIRs and penalties. But making "red entries" in revenue records might be too harsh on farmers who are already struggling. There should be a balance between enforcement and support.
This is excellent progress! 2,381 public awareness meetings shows real grassroots effort. Hope other states learn from Punjab's approach. The key is continuous engagement with farming communities. 🚜
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