Unfair to blame Punjab farmers for pollution in Delhi: Piyush Goyal

“Don’t believe anyone who says that it is farmers of Punjab who are causing the pollution in Delhi. I am not advocating that a farmer should burn his crop residue but even if he were to do so 500 metres away, I wonder how pollution can travel 500km, navigating through the high-rises of Gurugram and find its way to Delhi,” said Goyal.

Attributing stubble burning as the primary reason for pollution in the Capital was baseless and factually not right, observed the Union Minister.

For those unversed, it must be mentioned that stubble burning takes place after the summer harvest as farmers start the preparation for the winter crop. Farmers are often blamed for the high levels of pollution in Delhi. The poor air quality in the Capital is often blamed on the stubble burning in the neighbouring state.

While drawing the attention to the construction activities and vehicle emissions as the primary contributors to pollution in cities, Goyal advocated a shift towards precast construction and electric mobility. There are both cost effective and have environmental benefits, he stressed. There is a global shift towards precast methods as it is faster, more efficient and causes less pollution.

“Rather than blame others, can we also think of our role? Can we think of electric mobility, both for personal and company use?” said Goyal.