Punjab minister rejects claims of 1,200 stubble fires on Diwali
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema dismissed allegations by BJP leader Kapil Mishra that stubble burning in Punjab contributed to Delhi's pollution.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday rejected allegations by Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra that 1,200 incidents of stubble burning occurred in Punjab on Sunday. According to reports from The Times of India and ANI, Cheema accused the BJP of attempting to defame the state's farmers.
Mishra, a BJP leader, claimed that stubble burning incidents increased from 125 locations on November 7 to 1,200 on November 8, the day of Diwali. He described the rise as a conspiracy against farmers and the festival, demanding that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann investigate the fires and file FIRs.
Cheema dismissed the claims as baseless, questioning why Punjab was being singled out when Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also cultivate paddy. He asked if smoke from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh does not reach Delhi and called the charges lies.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reported that a total of 4,459 stubble burning incidents had been recorded in Punjab as of November 8. Physical inspections at 2,998 sites confirmed evidence of burning at 1,310 locations.
CAQM data also stated that FIRs have been registered in 884 cases under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Additionally, red entries were made in the land records of 1,017 farms, and prosecution proceedings were initiated against 18 nodal officers.
On Monday morning, several stations in Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) above 400. The Delhi Technological University recorded the highest AQI of 439 at 10 am.