The state recorded 1,152 farm fires on Sunday, increasing the seasonal total to 4,459 incidents.
Punjab recorded 1,152 farm fires on Diwali, marking the sharpest single-day spike of the season, according to reports by The New Indian Express. This surge increased the state's total seasonal incidents from 3,307 to 4,459.
The spike occurred as farmers faced a shrinking window to clear fields before the Punjab Agricultural University recommended wheat-sowing deadline of November 15. Harvesting was completed on 91.4 per cent of the 32.87 lakh hectares of paddy in the state.
On Sunday, Sangrur recorded the highest number of new fires with 194, bringing its seasonal tally to 488. Other districts reported 157 fires in Ferozepur, 132 in Bathinda, 92 in Patiala, 91 in Barnala, and 71 in Ludhiana.
Tarn Taran has recorded the highest overall seasonal tally of 654 fires. Ferozepur follows with 592, while Sangrur has 488, Bathinda has 406, Patiala has 288, and Amritsar has 247.
Enforcement agencies have registered 884 FIRs under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and marked 1,017 red entries in land revenue records. Authorities have imposed Rs 62.55 lakh as environmental compensation in 1,228 cases, recovering Rs 32.60 lakh so far.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recently held a meeting with officials to review prevention steps. The CAQM directed that monitoring and enforcement must be intensified and nodal officers held accountable for failures in prevention.
