Manjinder Sirsa alleges Punjab Police is setting stubble on fire as Delhi AQI hits 324, AAP hits back
PTC Web Desk: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday accused the AAP government in Punjab of letting stubble burning go on. He alleged that even Punjab Police personnel and government officials were involved in setting crop residue on fire. His remarks came as Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 324.
The allegations started a fresh round of political attacks between the BJP government in Delhi and the AAP. Sirsa also accused former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia of seeking political revenge after losing power in the capital.
'Punjab Police is setting stubble on fire,' claims Sirsa
Speaking at a press conference, Manjinder Sirsa questioned why only 271 FIRs had been registered against unidentified persons in Punjab when more than 1,000 stubble burning incidents had been reported in the state. He alleged that the police and the administration were not acting against those responsible and that officials themselves might be involved. He also played a video showing instances of stubble burning.
He also questioned the appointment of Reena Gupta as chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. Gupta is an AAP spokesperson and a close aide of Kejriwal and Sirsa said she had no technical background for the post.
Sirsa further claimed that the Punjab Government had spent Rs 20-25 crore on advertisements saying stubble burning had been eliminated in the state.
What the data shows
Data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) recorded 219 crop-residue burning incidents across seven states on November 2. Punjab had 98 of them. Rajasthan reported 67, Madhya Pradesh 48, Uttar Pradesh four and Haryana two.
Between September 15 and November 2, 3,535 farm fires were detected across the seven states. Punjab accounted for 1,612 of them.
Delhi’s air quality
Delhi’s average AQI touched 324 on Monday evening. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) then brought in Stage II measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Weather forecasts have also warned that smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana could reach Delhi-NCR over the next two to three days.
Sirsa also spoke about Delhi’s own efforts to cut pollution. He claimed that October had the cleanest air in the capital in a decade. On the restriction on vehicles that do not meet BS-VI norms, he said around 12,000 vehicles had been checked and about 1,200 were turned back at the borders.
Also Read | Delhi’s air turns toxic: GRAP-2 curbs imposed as AQI crosses 300
AAP’s response
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj hit back at the BJP government. He alleged that AQI monitoring stations had been placed in greener, low-traffic areas, such as forests and institutional campuses, to bring down pollution readings artificially. He questioned how reliable the reported AQI figures were, saying people could see the pollution with their own eyes despite the official numbers.
- PTC NEWS
