Patiala, Nov. 1 -- Though nearly 80% of paddy harvesting has been completed across Punjab, the state continued to experience a sharp surge in stubble burning incidents on Friday when it reported 224 fresh cases. With this, the total count has reached 1,642 this season. The recent spike marks a worrying trend as Punjab has recorded over 600 farm fire incidents in the past 72 hours, indicating that the practice of burning crop residue is intensifying as harvesting nears its final leg. According to the data compiled by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Sangrur district once again emerged as a major contributor, reporting 64 farm-fire incidents in a single day. With this, Sangrur's cumulative tally has risen to 281, making it having second-highest cases in the state after Tarn Taran, which leads with 374 cases so far. Officials said the Malwa region, which accounts for the majority of paddy cultivation, remains the most affected area and is likely to witness a further increase of stubble burning in the coming days. "Farmers are under pressure to clear their fields quickly to sow wheat before November 15, which is considered the ideal deadline for optimum yield. Given this short window ahead, many are resorting to stubble burning as a quick fix," said a senior official from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), wishing not to be named. The PPCB, which monitors stubble burning incidents from September 15 to November 30, had recorded 10,909 such cases last year. Officials, despite extensive awareness drives, penalties and monitoring, fear that numbers could again rise sharply in the first week of November when harvesting is at its peak. Over the past few weeks, the Punjab government has repeatedly appealed to the farmers to adopt eco-friendly alternatives such as crop residue management (CRM) machines, decomposers and ex-situ measures like supplying stubble to biomass plants. However, the pace of burning suggests that the compliance remains low in many areas. The district administrations have been directed to intensify field visits and take strict action against violators. Several FIRs have already been registered against farmers found burning residue, while the state has also initiated disciplinary action against supervisory officers for failing to prevent the practice in their jurisdictions....