Chandigarh: A total of 404 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded across Punjab, with the highest number being in Amritsar and Tarn Taran, officials said on Wednesday.
According to the status as of Tuesday, as recorded in the Punjab Pollution Control Board’s (PPCB) report, out of the 404 incidents of stubble burning recorded across the state, 358 fields have been inspected, and stubble burning has been confirmed at 151 locations.
“The administration continues its efforts to curb stubble-burning incidents in Punjab,” the officials said.
According to the report, 117 occurred in Amritsar, while 198 incidents were reported in Tarn Taran — both accounting for the highest number of incidents.
“In Tarn Taran, 176 fields were inspected, and stubble burning was confirmed at 75 sites. In Amritsar, 111 fields were inspected, with 42 cases of stubble burning confirmed,” the report showed.
It further notes that 23 incidents were recorded in Gurdaspur, 14 in Ferozepur, and 16 in Kapurthala. Additionally, five incidents were reported in Jalandhar, and four in Patiala. In Patiala, three fields were inspected, and stubble burning was confirmed at two locations.
“An environmental compensation of Rs 10,000 has been imposed in this regard,” officials said.
Across the state, environmental compensation totalling Rs 7.20 lakh has been imposed in connection with stubble-burning cases, of which Rs 3.40 lakh has already been recovered, the report showed.
According to the report, FIRs have been registered in 39 cases, and ‘red entries’ have been made in the revenue records for 106 cases.
Furthermore, 152 warning notices have been issued by the concerned authorities, it added.
In a separate development, the CAQM strengthened the mechanism for remote monitoring of air-polluting industries in the National Capital Region (NCR) by extending the requirement for installation and operationalisation of Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras to all categories of industries covered under Statutory Direction No. 98.
This will expand the scope of technology-enabled monitoring of fuel usage, industrial emissions and compliance with prescribed pollution-control measures. The Order supersedes the Commission’s earlier Order dated October 5, 2026, the statement read.
The Commission directed that all 17 categories of highly polluting industries identified by CPCB, Red Category (Medium and Large) air-polluting industries, Food & Food Processing and Textile industries having boilers/thermic fluid heaters, and Metal industries having furnaces, operating in NCR, shall ensure compliance with the following requirements, it said.
All industrial units covered under this Order shall ensure installation and operationalisation of the requisite PTZ cameras, including arrangements for real-time transmission of video feeds, by November 30, the statement said.
(IANS)
