Centre Orders Ground Checks for Stubble Burning After 3 pm in Punjab, Haryanaਕੇਂਦਰ ਦਾ ਹੁਕਮ: 3 ਵਜੇ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਪਰਾਲੀ ਸਾੜਨ 'ਤੇ ਜ਼ਮੀਨੀ ਜਾਂਚ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ

The Union government has told Punjab and Haryana to stop relying on satellites alone to count farm fires and to run ground patrols and flying squads in the fields after 3 pm, the hours when satellites no longer pass over the region and when, studies suggest, some farmers now light their paddy stubble to escape detection. The directions came at a joint review of crop residue management chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.

Why the focus has shifted to the afternoon

India's polar-orbiting satellites photograph farm fires in a late-morning window, roughly between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Even as official fire counts have fallen year after year, recent studies have pointed to a shift in burning towards later in the day, which would make the satellite tally look better than the ground reality. Yadav told states that monitoring must not rest on satellite data alone, asked district collectors to carry out ground assessments, and directed strict patrolling during the after-3 pm gap. States have also begun using drones this season to capture burning incidents in real time.

Five Punjab districts under special watch

The Centre named Sangrur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Patiala and Gurdaspur in Punjab, along with Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Ambala and Fatehabad in Haryana, for special monitoring of harvesting patterns and likely burning. District administrations have been asked to link their reporting with the Commission for Air Quality Management and the Central Pollution Control Board, and to track weather conditions that affect air quality over Delhi and the National Capital Region as winter approaches.

What the season's data shows

Reviewing figures from September 15 to October 12, Chouhan said farm fire incidents were down 53.3 per cent in Haryana and around 32 per cent in Uttar Pradesh compared with last year, while Punjab had recorded only a marginal decline. Rising counts in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were flagged as a concern, and both states were asked to identify their affected districts and roll out special action plans. Punjab's own daily count is climbing as harvesting picks up: the state reached a season tally of 174 fires earlier this week, with 51 incidents in a single day, its highest one-day figure this season.

The review also went into money and machines. Figures shared at the meeting put the crop residue management support released to Punjab so far at Rs 2,056.50 crore, with Rs 592.57 crore allocated for 2026-27 across states and Rs 430.87 crore of that released. Chouhan expressed concern over slow utilisation of funds and asked Punjab to submit its utilisation certificates promptly so the next instalment can be cleared.

Machines and alternatives, on a war footing

Chouhan told states to act on a war footing but paired the warning with a push on alternatives, asking that crop residue management machines reach farmers without delay and that older machines be repaired and made available to small farmers at subsidised rates. Wider use of shorter-duration paddy varieties such as Pusa 2090 and PR126 was encouraged to give farmers more time before wheat sowing, and states were pressed to build supply chains that carry stubble to thermal power plants for co-firing, compressed biogas plants and bio-ethanol units instead of leaving it to be burnt in the field.

Why is stubble burning being monitored after 3 pm specifically?

India's satellites capture farm fires only in a late-morning window. Studies suggest some farmers have shifted burning to the afternoon to evade that window, so the Centre has ordered ground patrols and flying squads for the hours after 3 pm.

Which Punjab districts face special monitoring?

Sangrur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Patiala and Gurdaspur have been named for special monitoring of harvesting trends and farm fires, along with five districts in Haryana.

Have farm fires actually fallen this year?

Between September 15 and October 12, incidents fell 53.3 per cent in Haryana and about 32 per cent in Uttar Pradesh against last year, while Punjab saw only a marginal decline, according to figures reviewed by the Union ministers.