Punjab has recorded 5,002 stubble burning incidents during the current paddy harvesting season, with the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) confirming enforcement action across the state, according to a board report dated 10 November 2026. Authorities have imposed fines, registered criminal cases, and initiated disciplinary proceedings against supervisory officers in a sweeping crackdown on crop residue burning.

Scale of the Problem

Field inspections have been conducted in 4,185 of the recorded cases, with stubble burning physically confirmed at 1,833 locations statewide. Punjab's total paddy cultivation area stands at 32.87 lakh hectares, of which harvesting has been completed on 96.10 per cent — meaning the season is nearly over, yet violations continue.

Tarn Taran district tops the list with 676 incidents, followed by Ferozepur at 654, Sangrur at 566, Bathinda at 439, and Patiala at 339. In Tarn Taran, field teams inspected 654 farms and confirmed burning at 310 locations.

Fines and Legal Action

Environmental compensation under the Environmental Compensation (EC) scheme has been imposed in 1,574 cases, with aggregate fines reaching ₹79.75 lakh. Of that amount, only ₹36.40 lakh — roughly 45 per cent — has been recovered so far.

First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered in 1,155 stubble burning cases, while red entries — a formal adverse notation in land records — have been made against 1,342 farmers, a measure that can complicate future access to government schemes and credit.

Patiala District: A Closer Look

In Patiala district, 260 farms were inspected out of the 339 incidents reported, with burning physically confirmed at 166 locations. Environmental compensation was imposed in 115 cases, with fines totalling ₹5.80 lakh, of which ₹2.40 lakh has been recovered. The district has also seen 123 FIRs, 97 red entries in revenue records, and 225 warning notices issued to farmers.

Officials Pulled Up for Negligence

In a notable escalation, the PPCB has initiated prosecution proceedings against 18 supervisory officers accused of negligence in handling stubble burning cases — five from Ferozepur and 13 from Tarn Taran. However, no officer has been formally charged or suspended as of the report date, raising questions about the speed of institutional accountability.

This comes amid sustained pressure from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which have repeatedly directed Punjab and neighbouring states to eliminate crop residue burning as a primary source of seasonal air pollution across northern India, including Delhi-NCR.

What Happens Next

With harvesting nearly complete, enforcement agencies are expected to intensify monitoring of residual burning in the coming days. The gap between fines imposed and fines recovered, and the absence of officer suspensions despite prosecution proceedings, will likely remain pressure points as regulators and courts continue their oversight of Punjab's stubble burning response this season.