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, 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 on Tuesday, Sirsa cited official data showing more than 900 farm fire 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 stubble-burning incidents and Uttar Pradesh reported 59, while Delhi reported only one. Sirsa alleged that farmers were not responsible for several of the fires and claimed Punjab Police personnel set the fields on fire.
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 further alleged that 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.