Delhi environment minister criticises Punjab government over pollution and farm fires
Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the Punjab government of undermining air quality efforts through inaccurate data and political appointments.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa criticised the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government on Tuesday, alleging that the state is undermining Delhi's air quality efforts. According to The News Mill, Sirsa claimed Punjab is contributing to pollution through farm fires, inaccurate data reporting, 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 Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, appointed a party spokesperson to a regulatory position.
The minister also pointed to discrepancies in farm-fire data, noting that Tarn Taran police registered 90 stubble-burning FIRs on October 28, while the state-wide count was 96. Satellite data from ICAR-IARI showed 933 farm fires in Punjab between October 26 and November 1, 2026, averaging 133 per day.
Regarding financial aid, the Centre has released ₹2,056.50 crore to Punjab under the Crop Residue Management scheme from 2018-19 to 2025-26. Sirsa noted that Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has requested Utilisation Certificates which the Punjab government has not provided.
In Delhi, authorities have implemented measures such as staggered office timings and a ban on non-BS-VI vehicles from outside the city. On the initial day of enforcement, officials inspected 14,930 vehicles and collected ₹68.4 lakh in fines.