CHANDIGARH — Farmers bodies in Punjab on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, sharply criticised the State government’s action against paddy growers for stubble burning, demanding a cash incentive and machinery to help manage crop residue. The protests come as a ban on crop residue burning remains in place, a practice often blamed for the spike in air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) during October and November.
The quick turnaround time between the paddy harvest and the sowing of the next Rabi crop, particularly wheat, compels some farmers to burn the stubble to rapidly clear their fields.
Enforcement and Penalties Mount
Despite a commitment by Punjab and Haryana to “eliminate” stubble burning this winter, enforcement actions have ramped up. According to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB):
• The State recorded 95 fire incidents between September 15 and September 29, with 51 sites physically verified for crop residue burning.
• The maximum number of cases were reported in Amritsar (55), followed by Tarn Taran (11) and Patiala (10).
• An environmental compensation fine of ₹2.30 lakh has been imposed in 48 cases, of which ₹1.80 lakh has been recovered.
• A total of 51 FIRs have been registered against farmers, including 22 in Amritsar, under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for disobedience of a public servant’s order.
• Authorities have also marked 32 red entries in the land records of erring farmers most of them in Amritsar which bar farmers from obtaining loans against or selling their farmland.
Farmers Decry Crackdown, Cite Lack of Affordability
Farm leaders condemned the crackdown, arguing that small and marginal farmers cannot afford the necessary crop residue management (CRM) machinery.
Sarwan Singh Pandher, leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), slammed the government for “deliberately targeting” farmers while allegedly taking “no action against the industry, which contributes the maximum to the environmental pollution.” The KMSC plans to burn effigies of the State and Central governments on October 6 to protest the action and demand flood relief compensation.
Leaders from other major groups echoed the demand for financial assistance:
• Sukhdev Singh Kokirkalan, General Secretary of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan), stated that farmers burn stubble “out of compulsion” and demanded the government provide ₹2,500 per acre for stubble management.
• Raminder Singh Patiala of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) called for ₹200 per quintal for stubble management and opposed the registration of cases, warning of protests against the crackdown.
The period for recording farm fire incidents began on September 15 and will continue till November 30. Last year, Punjab recorded 10,909 farm fires, a 70% decrease from the 36,663 incidents reported in 2023.