Patiala, Oct. 28 -- Amid a sharp rise in farm fire incidents in the state with the Malwa region emerging as the major contributor, Punjab saw 147 such cases on Monday, marking the highest single-day spike of the season so far and taking this year's total count to 890. On Sunday, the state had seen 122 incidents of paddy straw burning.

According to the data compiled by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Sangrur district recorded the highest number of cases (32) on Monday, followed by several other districts of the Malwa belt. Nearly 90 of the 147 cases were reported from the Malwa region, pointing toward a clear regional shift in stubble burning activity.

Until recently, it was the Majha region-comprising Amritsar, Tarn Taran and...