Every year, as wheat harvests end across Madhya Pradesh, thousands of fields light up. Farmers burn leftover stalks to clear land fast. The smoke chokes the air, kills the soil, and destroys whatever stands in the fire’s path. This year, Bhopal’s administration is drawing a hard line.
Additional District Magistrate Sumit Kumar Pandey issued a prohibitory order late Thursday night banning stubble burning across the entire Bhopal district for the next three months. The order takes effect immediately and will remain in force until June 2026.
The order was issued under the Indian Civil Protection Code 2023. Pandey directed all Sub-Divisional Magistrates to act against violations. Anyone found burning stubble will face an FIR at the nearest police station.
Why the Ban Was Necessary
The order cites four specific reasons for the prohibition.
Uncontrolled field fires destroy public property, natural vegetation, and animals. Burning also kills beneficial microorganisms in the soil, steadily reducing its fertility and affecting crop yields. Straw and stalks, when left to decompose naturally, enrich the soil โ burning them destroys this natural resource. Fires also release harmful gases, causing lasting damage to the environment.
The order references directives from the National Green Tribunal and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, as well as earlier communications from the state’s Agriculture and Environment departments dating back to 2017.
The ban comes as farmers across Bhopal district are actively harvesting wheat. Stubble burning typically rises sharply during this period, as farmers set fire to leftover stalks to quickly clear fields before the next crop cycle.
The ADM’s order notes that many farmers in the district already use rotavators and other equipment to manage crop residue without burning, and that this facility is available locally.
The three-month ban runs until June, when the monsoon season reaches Bhopal and naturally reduces stubble burning incidents. The order was passed unilaterally and comes into immediate effect.
MP Tops Country in Stubble Burning Cases
The ban arrives against a troubling backdrop. Between April 2020 and November 2025, Madhya Pradesh registered 546 stubble burning cases, according to data presented in the state Assembly. Chhindwara alone accounted for 226 of those cases, followed by Betul, Raisen, and Katni at 44, 42, and 42 cases respectively.
MP topped the country in stubble burning incidents for the second consecutive year. Between September 15 and November 30, 2025, satellites detected 17,067 crop residue burning incidents in the state, more than the combined total of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan.
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