Punjab farm fires rise marginally to 574, still 66% below 2024 level

Punjab has recorded a marginal rise in satellite-detected farm fires this year compared with 2025, even as the count remains nearly 66 per cent below the level recorded in 2024. The state recorded 574 incidents between September 15 and October 24 this year, compared with 561 during the corresponding period last year and 1,678 in 2024, as per the official data.

The latest count marks an increase of 13 incidents, or 2.3 per cent, over 2025. However, it is 1,104 incidents lower than the 2024 figure, representing a decline of 65.8 per cent. The numbers show that the sharp reduction recorded last year has largely held, despite a marginal increase this season.

Among the districts, Tarn Taran has recorded the highest number of incidents, with 270 between September 15 and October 24 this year, against 175 during the corresponding period last year and 331 in 2024.

Amritsar has reported 144 incidents this year, compared with 135 last year and 455 in 2024. Gurdaspur recorded 37 incidents, against 27 in 2025 and 51 in 2024. Jalandhar reported 12 incidents, compared with seven last year and 21 in 2024, while Kapurthala recorded 27 incidents against 19 in 2025 and 72 in 2024.

Till October 23, 91 FIRs had been registered against farmers across Punjab. Red entries had been made in farm records in 182 cases, while warnings and show-cause notices had been issued to 305 nodal officers in the state.
Meanwhile, a high-level team led by Rajesh Verma, chairperson, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), review the paddy stubble management measures in Amritsar and Tarn Taran — the two districts that are leading in farm fire count.

The team evaluated both in-situ and ex-situ methods for paddy stubble management, as well as the facilities and infrastructure in place for these efforts in the two districts, according to an official statement. The team also inspected facilities in Amritsar where paddy stubble is being used as fuel.

During the meeting, attended by the deputy commissioners of the two districts, the commission instructed officers to visit villages and farmers regularly to ensure that they are informed about the availability of stubble management facilities, and that necessary machinery and facilities reach them promptly. District administrations were urged to enhance coordination between farmers, Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), machinery providers, and other stakeholders to ensure farmers can access residue management solutions without delay.

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AAP hits back at BJP over stubble-burning allegations

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP and Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa of attempting to malign Punjab and its farmers through what it termed false claims about farm fires.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, along with AAP state media in-charge Baltej Pannu, said the Bhagwant Mann-led government had consistently supported farmers through machinery, awareness campaigns and measures to promote scientific stubble management.

Cheema alleged that the BJP had repeatedly demanded the registration of cases against farmers instead of recognising the state’s efforts to curb stubble burning. “Instead of supporting those who feed the nation, the BJP is trying to threaten and malign them,” he said.

Cheema said the Punjab government had been procuring and providing stubble-management machinery to farmers for the past five years. Machinery worth more than Rs 800 crore had been provided, he said, adding that sustained efforts and awareness campaigns had helped bring down farm-fire incidents significantly.

“Punjab’s farmers are not burning stubble on the scale being portrayed by BJP leaders. The government has continuously provided machinery and made farmers aware of scientific stubble management practices. Even if an isolated incident occurs somewhere, it cannot be portrayed as widespread stubble burning across the state,” he said.

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Earlier, in a post on X in Hindi and Punjabi on Friday, Sirsa had criticised AAP over the issue, alleging that farm fires had increased despite the party being in power in Punjab. “When the AAP government was in power in Delhi, everyone was responsible for Punjab’s stubble, except them. Now the AAP government is in Punjab too, and the fires are raging even more than before. This isn’t helplessness… It’s the AAP government’s incompetence. Delhi is still choking today,” he wrote.

Cheema advised Sirsa and other BJP leaders to stop making allegations against Punjab and instead address the situation in neighbouring BJP-ruled states, including Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Pannu alleged that BJP leaders had resorted to political point-scoring even before paddy harvesting had gathered momentum. Recent rainfall had delayed harvesting, he said, questioning claims that smoke from Punjab was already reaching Delhi on a large scale.

“Paddy harvesting has not even gathered momentum, yet BJP leaders have started creating a drama about smoke reaching Delhi from Punjab. If fires have not even started on the scale being claimed, how has the smoke bypassed Haryana and reached Delhi directly? Is there some pipeline carrying smoke from Punjab to Delhi?” he said.

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Pannu also cited the reduction in stubble burning acknowledged in Parliament, claiming that incidents had declined by up to 80 per cent last year. He said the government’s investment in machinery demonstrated its commitment to addressing the problem through practical support rather than punitive action.

Warning against attempts to portray Punjab as a state of “drug addicts” or “polluters”, Pannu said such narratives insulted the state’s people and disregarded farmers’ contribution to the country’s food security. Punjab’s farmers deserved support, practical solutions and respect rather than political attacks, he said.