Nation

Chandigarh: Punjab witnessed 49 fresh stubble burning incidents on Friday, taking the total count to 561 since September 15, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data showed.

According to the data, the highest number of farm fires were reported in Tarn Taran at 175, followed by Amritsar at 135, Ferozepur 66, Patiala 34, Gurdaspur 27 and Sangrur 23, as many farmers continue to burn crop residue.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

As the window for the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after paddy harvest in October and November, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue.

Fines amounting to Rs 14.25 lakh have been imposed as environmental compensation in 278 cases so far, according to

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