Punjab recorded 54 fresh farm-fire cases on Thursday, taking the state’s season total to 5,571, even as enforcement action against stubble burning intensified across affected districts. Ferozepur remained the worst-affected district with 737 cases, followed by Tarn Taran with 688 and Sangrur with 640, according to data cited from the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space (CREAMS).
The latest daily count marked a decline after a spike in farm-fire cases over the preceding days. However, Punjab continued to account for six of the 10 most affected districts across seven states. Bathinda had recorded 501 cases, Patiala 380 and Barnala 325, placing the districts among the areas with the highest reported incidence.
Ferozepur, Sangrur, Bathinda and Barnala had registered a considerable number of cases during the preceding week. CREAMS data showed that stubble burning had been reported from 175 districts across the seven states being monitored, including all 23 districts of Punjab.
The increase in cases has been accompanied by a wider penal response. Authorities have registered 1,259 first information reports under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which concerns disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant. Tarn Taran accounted for 312 of these FIRs, followed by Ferozepur with 178, Patiala with 153, Malerkotla with 134 and Sangrur with 120.
Environmental compensation of Rs 85.90 lakh has been imposed in 1,695 cases, while Rs 37.55 lakh has been realised, according to the figures reported by the Times of India. The difference between the amount imposed and the amount realised indicates that recovery action remains incomplete, although the report does not provide a district-wise or case-wise breakdown of pending collections.
Authorities have also issued warning or show-cause notices to 1,435 nodal and supervisory officers. Prosecution action has been initiated against 29 supervisory officers. The figures place responsibility not only on farmers identified in farm-fire cases but also on the administrative chain responsible for monitoring and enforcement at the district and field levels.
Madhya Pradesh reported 182 fresh farm-fire cases, taking its total to 2,506, while Haryana recorded four new cases and reached a total of 218. Punjab’s latest count therefore remained substantially higher than the totals reported for the two other states mentioned in the update.
The next phase of the response will depend on continued monitoring across Punjab’s 23 districts, further action on registered cases and the recovery of imposed environmental compensation. The latest data shows a short-term reduction in daily incidents, but the state’s cumulative count and the scale of enforcement activity remain high.
