CHANDIGARH, May 7 -- Reversing the trend of registering a sharp dip in the field fire incidents over the past three seasons, Haryana has seen over a three-fold rise in the cases during the ongoing wheat harvesting cycle, raising the hackles of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and bringing the veracity of enforcement drives under scrutiny.

According to official data of the agriculture department, accessed by HT, the state has recorded 2,657 farm fire incidents between April 1 and May 5, which is the highest count in the last five years and exceeds 2,465 cases recorded in the 2022 wheat harvesting season.

The data shows that the steady decline observed after 2022 has not been sustained. For instance, farm fire incidents dr...