Stubble burning in Punjab solely responsible for rising Delhi pollution: Arvind Kejriwal

A blanket of smog shrouds Shejanabad and the Jama Masjid area in Old Delhi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)

Showing the satellite images of stubble burning in Punjab, Kejriwal said the incidents of stubble burning were more in Punjab this year than in Haryana. “The images show stubble burning in Bathinda, Amritsar and other districts in Punjab. In Haryana, this is limited to north Haryana in the areas around Ambala district,” he said.

He said Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier assured him of lesser stubble burning in Haryana this year and the satellite images showed that stubble burning was indeed less in that state this time.

“Punjab and Haryana govts claiming that there is no stubble burning in these states is wrong. Satellite images show stubble burning, especially in Punjab. I appeal that politicians should not give irresponsible statements, rather help resolve the issue,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by ANI.

Kejriwal said everyone will have to “work responsibly” to address the issue.

The Punjab government and pollution control authorities in the state need to take the stubble burning more seriously to find a lasting solution to the annual problem that was causing severe air pollution in Delhi, he said.Claiming that Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan had assured him of solving this problem, Kejriwal said, “I met Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan a few months back to discuss this problem. He assured me that the problem will be curbed as ‘Happy Seeder’ machines will be provided to panchayats to get rid of the crop residue. However, nothing has happened.”