New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the AAP-led Punjab government on Thursday of misleading people about stubble burning, alleging that a sharp spike in farm fires in the neighbouring state contributed to the deterioration in the national capital’s air quality.
Speaking at the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Shastri Park, Sirsa said Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) rose from 117 on October 31 to 377 on November 4, coinciding with a significant increase in farm-fire incidents in Punjab.
He said the state recorded 584 farm fires on November 3 alone, up from 98 on November 2, bringing the cumulative total to 2,196 between October 29 and November 3. The minister said stubble burning contributed an estimated 20.2 per cent to Delhi’s pollution on November 4, as per the Decision Support System (DSS).
Questioning Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s claims that paddy harvesting had not picked up in the state, Sirsa said the Punjab government’s figures showed that 77.38 per cent of the paddy area had been harvested by November 2.
He questioned Mann’s claim that smoke from Punjab did not reach Delhi, recalling a November 4, 2022, press conference where the chief minister took responsibility for addressing stubble burning. Sirsa alleged that despite repeated assurances over the past four years, the Punjab government had failed to curb farm fires. He questioned officials’ accountability, pointing out that while 494 FIRs had been registered in connection with 2,196 farm-fire incidents, no chargesheets or suspension orders against nodal or supervisory officials had been reported, according to figures he cited.
He said the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had issued notices to the deputy commissioners of Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka and Jalandhar, as well as the Barnala Senior Superintendent of Police, over alleged lapses in preventing stubble burning.
The commission also convened a review meeting with senior administrative and police officials from 12 districts of Punjab after a sudden rise in farm fires, he said.
Accusing the Punjab government of failing to provide farmers with adequate alternatives, Sirsa said the Centre had released Rs 5,000 crore for machinery such as happy seeders and balers. Still, the state had not ensured their timely availability. He said the Delhi government had intensified pollution-control measures, including mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling, deployment of anti-smog guns, inspections at construction sites and action against open burning.
The minister said officials are using the Integrated Command and Control Centre to monitor pollution hotspots, construction activities, road dust and waste management round the clock.
Sirsa said the sudden deterioration in air quality could not be explained by any major increase in construction activity, industrial pollution or the entry of polluting vehicles into the city, and attributed it partly to smoke from Punjab carried by winds associated with Western disturbances.
The minister also apologised to residents of the National Capital Region facing inconvenience due to restrictions on the entry of vehicles below BS-VI standards into Delhi, urging them to cooperate.
He said vehicular emissions from neighbouring areas also contributed to Delhi’s pollution and appealed to people to use public transport and comply with emission norms. The AAP did not respond immediately. PTI AHD ASD
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