Punjab has recorded a total of 2,347 incidents of stubble burning as of 4 November 2026, with Tarn Taran district topping the list at 558 cases, according to data released by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The figures come as North India continues to battle deteriorating air quality during the paddy harvesting season.

Scale of Enforcement Action

The PPCB report shows that authorities have imposed environmental fines totalling ₹40.37 lakh across these cases, of which ₹23.05 lakh has been recovered so far. Of the 1,942 fields inspected, fires were confirmed at 868 locations, and environmental compensation has been imposed in 801 cases.

Administrative action has been sweeping in scale: 647 FIRs have been registered, 'red entries' have been made in revenue records for 723 cases, and 689 warning notices have been issued by concerned authorities, officials confirmed.

District-Wise Breakdown

Tarn Taran leads with 558 cases, followed by Ferozepur at 316, Amritsar at 207, Bathinda at 167, and Sangrur at 163. 'This shows that the problem of stubble burning persists across several districts in the state,' officials noted.

In Patiala, 110 incidents have been recorded so far. Authorities inspected 67 locations and confirmed fires at 24 of them. Environmental compensation was imposed in 15 instances, with a fine of ₹80,000 levied, of which ₹35,000 has been recovered. Additionally, 21 FIRs have been registered and red entries made in 10 cases, alongside 25 warning notices.

Harvesting Progress and the Enforcement Gap

According to the PPCB, paddy harvesting has been completed on 85.10% of Punjab's total 32.87 lakh hectares of paddy area. Despite the advanced stage of the harvest, stubble burning incidents continue to be reported — pointing to a persistent gap between enforcement intent and on-ground compliance.

'Departmental data indicates that the administration is taking various measures — including conducting inspections, imposing fines, registering FIRs, and initiating other enforcement actions — yet completely curbing the practice of setting fire to fields remains a significant challenge,' officials said.

Why the Problem Persists

Stubble burning remains entrenched in Punjab's agricultural cycle because farmers face a narrow window between paddy harvest and the sowing of the next wheat crop. The cost and logistics of mechanised stubble management — using Happy Seeders and other equipment — are beyond the immediate reach of many small and marginal farmers. This is not a new crisis: Punjab has recorded thousands of fire incidents annually for over a decade, with enforcement drives yielding only partial compliance each season. Notably, the high share of active fires in districts like Tarn Taran and Ferozepur, which border the Majha and Malwa regions, historically correlates with elevated pollution in the Delhi-NCR airshed downstream.