Delhi minister accuses Punjab government of facilitating stubble burning
Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that Punjab Police personnel were present at several locations helping to set crop residue on fire.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Punjab government of deliberately facilitating stubble burning on Tuesday, according to The Indian Express. Sirsa alleged that Punjab Police personnel were present at several locations and were helping to set crop residue on fire.
Addressing a press conference, Sirsa cited official data showing more than 900 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab since October 26. He claimed that 103 fires were reported on October 26, 33 on October 27, 98 on October 28, 194 on October 29, 292 on October 30 and 31 combined, and 175 on November 1.
The minister stated that during the same period, Haryana reported 18 incidents, Uttar Pradesh reported 59, and Delhi reported only one. He alleged that farmers were not responsible for several of the fires and played videos purportedly showing burning cases.
Sirsa also questioned the appointment of Reena Gupta as chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). He described Gupta, a former AAP spokesperson in Delhi, as a close relative of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and alleged that attempts are being made to manipulate pollution data.
The minister claimed the Punjab government has spent Rs 20-25 crore on advertisements to claim no stubble burning is taking place, despite the Centre providing Rs 5,000 crore to address the issue. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) as air quality in Delhi entered the ‘Very Poor’ category.
