New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday raised questions over the increasing incidents of stubble burning in Punjab and held the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its party convenor Arvind Kejriwal responsible for adding to the air pollution in north India.
Referring to a media report, Sirsa said that 1,007 incidents of stubble burning have been reported in Punjab so far, of which 672 incidents have been recorded in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Ferozepur alone.
The Delhi Environment Minister said that when Arvind Kejriwal was the Chief Minister of Delhi, he and other leaders of his party repeatedly cited stubble burning in Punjab as a major reason for Delhi’s air pollution.
“Today, AAP is in power in Punjab, yet the incidents of stubble burning remain a serious concern and effective control has not been ensured,” he said in a statement.
Sirsa alleged that the Punjab government is putting pressure on farmers to burn stubble, thereby adversely affecting Delhi’s air quality.
The Minister said that the Central government has extended every possible support to farmers for stubble management and provided modern agricultural equipment.
Through machines such as happy seeders, straw cutters and other equipment, farmers have been provided with alternatives for scientific management of crop residue.
“Farmers are also increasingly adopting options to generate economic benefits from stubble instead of burning it. Despite these efforts, the rising number of farm-fire incidents in Punjab raises serious questions,” he said.
The Delhi Environment Minister said, “Arvind Kejriwal ji, you have served as the Chief Minister of Delhi for 10 years and are well aware of the problem of air pollution and the difficulties faced by the people of Delhi.”
“It is not appropriate to put the health of Delhi’s people and the interests of farmers at risk for political reasons. The Bhagwant Mann government must also understand its responsibility in this matter and take immediate and effective steps to prevent stubble-burning incidents,” he added.
The Environment Minister said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government is making continuous and planned efforts to control air pollution.
Delhi has recorded 219 clean-air days so far this year, and the air quality index (AQI) has touched 60.
The Delhi government’s objective is to provide citizens with a clean and healthier environment.
He said that the Delhi government is working on a comprehensive and technology-driven strategy to control pollution.
Through the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), pollution-related activities are being continuously monitored.
Coordination among various departments and enforcement agencies is being strengthened to ensure that pollution-control measures are effectively implemented on the ground, Sirsa added.
The Environment Minister said that a permanent solution to the problem of air pollution is possible only when the governments of neighbouring states work with equal seriousness.
–IANS
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