E-Paper
Farm fire cases in Ludhiana drop by 33% this year
Farm fires during paddy harvest in Ludhiana dropped by a third this year, with 213 cases reported. Farmers are adopting better residue management methods.
Instances of farm fires during the paddy harvest in Ludhiana district fell by a third this year. The district recorded 322 cases last year, which dropped to 213 in 2025.
Environmental compensation worth ₹5,20,000 has been imposed in 98 farm fire cases, of which ₹3,15,000 has already been collected from farmers.
According to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), penalties are charged based on landholding: farmers with less than two acres pay ₹5,000, those with two to five acres pay ₹10,000, and farmers with over five acres pay ₹30,000.
Around 52 FIRs have been filed under Section 223 of the BNS, which deals with disobedience of lawful orders from public servants.
Additionally, 82 ‘red entries’ have been recorded. A red entry is a penalty that bars the land from being mortgaged or sold and prevents the farmer from accessing farm loans.
Chief agriculture officer Gurdeep Singh said the decline in farm fires is due to farmers adopting alternative methods for paddy straw management instead of burning.
There are two main methods of crop residue management: in situ and ex situ. In situ methods manage the residue within the field, using equipment like happy seeders, rotavators and ploughs. Mulching allows wheat to be sown without removing the straw, while the incorporation method mixes the straw into the soil.
Ex situ management involves baling, where straw is compressed into bundles and transported to factories or other locations for alternative uses.
