Satellite surveillance tightens net on stubble burning in Ferozepur; 87 farm-fire cases in 48 hours
Ferozepur, November 13, 2026: In the fields of Ferozepur district, the battle against stubble burning has taken on a distinctly modern edge. Police registered 38 new cases of farm fires on Friday under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, bringing the two-day total to 87 FIRs as authorities lean heavily on satellite technology to track violators.
Friday’s 38 FIRs were spread across five police station jurisdictions: 24 in Zira, nine in Makhu, two each in Ferozepur Sadar and Lakho Ke Behram, and one in Mallanwala.
Statewide, Punjab has recorded 5,517 farm-fire cases so far, with 1,259 FIRs registered. Ferozepur leads with 728 incidents, followed by Tarn Taran (687), Sangrur (628) and Bathinda (499). Despite repeated government advisories, many farmers continue to burn crop residue.
With the local Air Quality Index hovering near 200, the urgency is clear. Teams from the Punjab Pollution Control Board feed precise coordinates of active fires to police, who then move quickly to the flagged fields. The technology has sharpened detection, yet identifying the actual landowners or the people who lit the fires continues to prove difficult in several instances, resulting in cases filed against unidentified persons.
A day earlier, police had booked 49 cases involving 47 named individuals and 30 unidentified persons. Those incidents were recorded in villages under the Guruharsahai, Lakho Ke Behram, Zira and Makhu police stations, including Mahanta Wala, Sohangarh Rattewala, Shareh Wala Brar, Kehar Singh Wala, Guddar Dhandi, Chak Jamiat Singh Wala, Chak Somian, Kohar Singh Wala, Lalchian, Wara Suleman, Jogewala, Ruknewala, Nizamdin Wala, Mohammad Shah Wala, Akbarwala, Ammiwala, Gatta Badshah, Talwandi MangeKha, Feroke, Jhatra, Dhandian, Malloke and Pandori Jattan Wala, among others.
Officials stress that the campaign will not ease. Satellite monitoring, combined with on-ground verification, remains the backbone of the effort to curb the seasonal practice of burning paddy residue and to hold those responsible accountable.