Punjab: 33 new incidents of farm fire in the state, death toll rises to 267

Punjab: With sowing time for winter crops drawing closer, the state on Tuesday witnessed the highest number of field fires (33) this year. With this, 267 cases of stubble burning have been reported in the state so far. The number was three on the same day in 2022, while last year the figure was 58. Earlier, many farmers were unable to harvest their crop as procurement was halted due to the strike of commission agents. However, with that strike over and procurement starting, those farmers will now harvest the entire paddy crop, which means the number of farm fire cases could go up drastically in the next few weeks, sources said.