PUNJAB WITNESSES 4-FOLD DROP IN FARM FIRES SINCE 2023
— PUNJAB RECORDS MERE 415 FARM FIRE CASES IN 2025 VERSUS 1,510 IN 2024 AND 1,764 IN 2023 DURING SAME PERIOD
— DGP PUNJAB GAURAV YADAV HOLDING FREQUENT MEETINGS WITH RANGE OFFICERS, CPs/SSPs AND SHOs TO REVIEW SITUATION OF STUBBLE BURNING IN STATE
— SPL DGP ARPIT SHUKLA URGES FARMERS TO COOPERATE AND NOT PUT MATCHSTICK ON CROP RESIDUE
CHANDIGARH, October 22 (WISHAVWARTA):- The sustained and rigorous efforts by the Civil Administration and Punjab Police to prevent stubble burning has yielded significant results, with the state witnessing a near four-fold reduction in farm fire cases this year compared to the same period in the previous two years.
According to official data compiled from September 15 to October 21, Punjab has recorded a mere 415 cases of farm fires in 2025. This marks a staggering decline from the 1,510 incidents reported in 2024 and 1,764 incidents in 2023 during the same critical period.
Pertinently, complying with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to bring down stubble burning cases to zero, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav and Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla have been personally monitoring the action against stubble burning.
The DGP Punjab has also been holding meetings with all the senior officers, Range Officers, CPs/SSPs and Station House Officers (SHOs) to personally review the cases of stubble burning in the state on day to day basis.
Special DGP Arpit Shukla said that Police teams along with Civil Administration have been making untiring efforts at the ground level to curb the menace of stubble burning in the state.
He said that DCs/SSPs and SDMs/DSPs have been conducting joint tours at villages, which have been identified as stubble burning hotspots and holding public awareness meetings with various farmer/kisan unions at district and sub-divisional level.
As many as 251 joint tours were made by DCs/SSPs and 790 joint tours were made by SDMs/DSPs in last few days, during which they held 2381 public awareness meetings, while, 1769 meetings were organised with the Farmer/Kisan Unions. Apart from this, Parali Protection Force has also been constituted at Police Station level, which has been keeping vigil as well as sensitising farmers about the ill-effects of putting matchstick on the crop residue.
The Special DGP said that legal action is being initiated against those found burning stubble. Till now, 415 farm fires were detected by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PSRC) in the state, and joint teams were sent for inspection on the spot, he said, while adding that police teams have registered FIRs in 172 cases and imposed penalties in 189 cases. Apart from this, he said that red entries have also been made in revenue records of 165 farmers.
The Special DGP exhorted farmers to cooperate and not put matchstick on crop residue, which will not only lead to the deterioration of the environment but will also affect the health of children.
