Punjab records 442 stubble-burning cases in one day

BATHINDA: Punjab recorded the biggest surge in stubble-burning this season, reporting 442 incidents on Saturday, taking the count to 2,084, reports Neel Kamal. It is also the first time that any single district (Sangrur) reported over 100 fires.

Punjab has reported 1,151 cases in the last four days, taking it's share to over 55% of the total cases in the country this season. Sangrur - the native district of CM Bhagwant Mann - is at the heart of the farm fires.

Punjab's count Saturday was over 82% of the 535 cases recorded during the day - 44 from Rajasthan, 27 from UP, 19 from Haryana and three from MP. Punjab now has more than twice as many cases as UP (1,004). Its tally this season is still lower than the 3,537 cases reported till Nov 1 in 2024 and 9,594 in 2023.

Tarn Taran, with 423 cases, accounts for the bulk of the 2,084 cases reported in Punjab this year, followed by 389 from Sangrur.

Seventy eight more FIRs were registered on Saturday, taking the count to 545, and Rs 6.5 lakh environmental compensation was imposed, taking it to Rs 40.5 lakh of which Rs 20.4 lakh has been recovered.