Punjab recorded 1,152 fresh farm fire incidents on 8 November 2026 — Diwali — marking the highest single-day surge of the ongoing paddy harvesting season and pushing the state's cumulative stubble-burning count to 4,459 since monitoring began on 15 September, according to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The single-day jump represented a 34.8 per cent rise in cumulative incidents in just 24 hours.

How the numbers escalated

The scale of the surge becomes stark when tracked day by day. Punjab's cumulative farm fire count stood at 2,787 as of 5 November, climbed to 3,144 by 6 November, and reached 3,307 by 7 November. The addition of 1,152 incidents on Diwali day alone pushed the total to 4,459 — meaning 1,672 new fires were recorded in just three days, underscoring what authorities describe as a sudden deterioration in the situation despite ongoing enforcement.

District-wise breakdown

Tarn Taran reported the highest number of farm fires in the state at 654, followed by Ferozepur at 592 and Sangrur at 488. Bathinda recorded 406 incidents, while Patiala logged 288. Other districts with notable counts include Amritsar (247), Barnala (230), Ludhiana (193), Moga (188), and Faridkot (170). In Patiala district specifically, cases jumped from 196 on 7 November to 288 on 8 November — an addition of 92 incidents in a single day. By that date, 96 per cent of the district's total paddy area of 2.314 lakh hectares had already been harvested.

Enforcement action on the ground

Statewide, 2,998 farms had been inspected across Punjab as of 8 November, with crop residue burning confirmed at 1,310 locations on the spot and burning marks detected in 122 non-AFL areas. Environmental compensation was imposed in 1,228 cases, with a total fine of ₹62.55 lakh levied; of this, ₹32.60 lakh has been recovered, while ₹29.95 lakh remains outstanding. Authorities have registered 884 FIRs and entered red marks in the revenue records of 1,017 farmers across the state.

In Patiala district, 157 farms were inspected, burning was confirmed at 94 locations, environmental compensation was imposed in 68 cases amounting to ₹3.45 lakh — of which ₹1.25 lakh has been recovered — and 77 FIRs were registered. Red entries were made in the revenue records of 33 farmers.

Officials also under scrutiny

The PPCB report noted that enforcement accountability has extended to monitoring officials. As many as 1,103 show-cause notices have been issued to nodal and supervisory officers for lapses in monitoring responsibilities. Prosecution proceedings have been initiated against 18 supervisory officers under Section 14 of the CAQM Act. However, the report recorded zero charge sheets and zero suspension orders as of the reporting date — a gap that critics argue signals limited deterrence at the official level.

Where the season stands

As of 8 November, 91.40 per cent of Punjab's total paddy area — spread across 32.87 lakh hectares — had been harvested, suggesting the season is nearing its close. Yet the Diwali-day spike has raised fresh questions about whether financial penalties, FIRs, and awareness campaigns are sufficient to shift farmer behaviour during the narrow post-harvest window, particularly when open burning coincides with festival nights that already elevate pollution loads. With harvest completion imminent, the coming days will determine whether this spike was a seasonal outlier or a sign of deeper structural gaps in crop residue management policy.