Delhi Environment Minister Sirsa blames Punjab government for pollution
Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that the Punjab government is undermining air quality efforts through farm fires and inaccurate data reporting.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa criticised the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government on Tuesday, claiming the state is hindering Delhi's air purification efforts. According to The News Mill, Sirsa accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's administration of contributing to pollution via farm fires and political appointments.
Sirsa highlighted the appointment of Reena Gupta, an AAP spokesperson and relative of Arvind Kejriwal, as Chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. He stated that Gupta replaced environmental scientists and senior IAS officers in the role. Sirsa alleged that the regulator has been turned into a party office to manage narratives.
The minister also pointed to discrepancies in stubble-burning data. He noted that Tarn Taran police registered 90 FIRs on October 28, while the official state-wide count for that day was 96. Between October 24 and 31, Tarn Taran recorded 271 FIRs, with about 70 per cent directed against farmers.
Satellite data from ICAR-IARI showed 933 farm fires in Punjab between October 26 and November 1, 2026, averaging 133 per day. Sirsa noted that while Punjab reported 175 fires on one day, Haryana recorded seven, while Uttar Pradesh and Delhi reported none.
Regarding funds, the Centre has released ₹2,056.50 crore to Punjab under the Crop Residue Management scheme from 2018-19 to 2025-26. Sirsa claimed machines did not reach farmers and noted that the Punjab Government has not provided requested Utilisation Certificates to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
