Patiala, Oct. 23 -- Punjab recorded 50 fresh stubble burning incidents taking the cumulative tally to 454 as of October 21, surpassing the 415 cases reported during the corresponding period last year, according to data from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The state recorded 5,114 farm fires during the paddy harvesting season last year. The annual farm fire monitoring period begins on September 15, two weeks before paddy procurement starts on October 1. Tarn Taran has emerged as the worst-affected district, accounting for 218 of the 454 incidents, nearly half of the state's total. Amritsar followed with 125 cases, while Gurdaspur and Ferozepur reported 28 and 23 incidents, respectively. Most fires have been reported from districts where early-maturing paddy varieties were cultivated. Harvesting has only recently begun in several other areas. According to the PPCB data, 83% of the paddy crop has already been harvested in Amritsar and 73% in Tarn Taran. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is among the factors contributing to the seasonal deterioration in air quality across the National Capital Region (NCR), particularly during October and November. With a narrow window between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing, farmers often burn crop residue to clear their fields quickly for the next crop. Agriculture experts expect farm fires to peak in the first week of November as farmers race to complete harvesting and prepare their fields for wheat sowing before the November 15 deadline. Punjab cultivates paddy over approximately 31 lakh hectares, generating nearly 19.5 million tonnes of straw annually. Unlike wheat straw, paddy residue has limited traditional uses on farms, making its management challenging within the short interval between the two crops. State nodal officer at the PPCB Rajeev Gupta said enforcement teams were working round the clock to curb the practice. "Our teams are on the ground working 24x7. We urge farmers to adopt in-situ or ex-situ management of stubble instead of burning it," he said. General secretary of the BKU (Dakunda) Jagmohan Singh said managing stubble cost small farmers between Rs.3,000 and Rs.3,500 per acre, making the process financially unviable. "The government should provide an incentive of Rs.100 per quintal of paddy to help farmers manage the straw," he said....