Patiala, Nov. 7 -- Punjab on Thursday reported 351 fresh incidents of stubble burning, taking the total count to 3,284 to date this season. Sangrur, which has consistently topped the list over the years, continues to remain the worst-affected district with a total of 557 cases reported this season.

Over the past 10 days alone, Punjab has reported nearly 2,400 farm fires, accounting for 73% of the total incidents recorded so far. Officials attribute the sudden rise to paddy harvesting nearing its fag end and farmers preparing fields for sowing wheat.

Last year, Punjab had recorded 10,909 farm fire incidents, with Sangrur alone accounting for 1,725 cases. Among the 351 new cases reported on Thursday, Moga recorded 46, while Muktsar and Sa...