Punjab: Mohali reports fresh farm fires amid launch of monitoring dashboard

The incidents come even as the district administration has begun real-time monitoring through a newly launched control room dashboard to curb farm fires

Two fresh cases of stubble burning were reported in Mohali district on Tuesday - one in Handesra and the other in Sekhan Majra, both falling under the jurisdiction of the IT city police station. The incidents come even as the district administration has begun real-time monitoring through a newly launched control room dashboard to curb farm fires.

In Handesra, stubble was found burning on approximately one acre of farmland (HT File)

In Handesra, stubble was found burning on approximately one acre of farmland. In Sekhan Majra, agriculture officer Gurdial Singh filed a complaint after his team received a WhatsApp alert and found crop residue being set ablaze upon reaching the location. Assistant sub-inspector Om Prakash said his team noticed smoke during routine evening patrol. “Upon inspection, we found active stubble burning in a field and initiated legal action,” he said. Police have registered cases against unidentified farmers under Section 223 of the BNS, which pertains to disobedience of orders issued by a public servant.

The Mohali district administration had launched the stubble burning control room dashboard on October 6. The platform, accessible via web, desktop, and mobile, allows citizens to upload photos or videos of farm fires, enabling officials to respond swiftly. The dashboard provides a centralised interface for tracking stubble burning incidents, facilitating interdepartmental coordination, and ensuring timely preventive and corrective actions. The system was developed with support from the NIC Mohali team, which also trained government officials in its usage. Authorities said that the dashboard will support the agriculture department and the pollution control board in data-driven monitoring and decision-making.

Meanwhile, the season’s first FIR for stubble burning was earlier lodged in Dera Bassi under Section 223 of the BNS and relevant sections of the Environment Protection Act. The Supreme Court, in recent observations, said that farmers in Delhi’s neighbouring states cannot be granted ‘absolute immunity’ for burning crop residue, which is a key contributor to the region’s air pollution crisis. The court urged the Centre, states, and the commission for air quality management to adopt long-term strategies instead of relying on temporary measures. Last year, Mohali district, which comprises more than 350 villages, recorded 133 cases of stubble burning. FIRs were filed in 27 of them.