Haryana minister on why 'Kejriwal not blaming Punjab for farm fires this year'

Haryana's home minister Anil Vij on Friday hit out at Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over farm fires amid concerns in the National Capital Region (NCR) on air pollution, which increases significantly at this time of the year. It has been attributed in the past both to stubble burning and bursting of crackers during the festive season. With several states involved, it has been difficult to fix accountability over the matter, which has also been discussed in the Supreme Court.

Taking a dig, the Haryana minister suggested that the Delhi CM is not blaming Punjab anymore because the state now has the AAP government, led by Bhagwant Mann. "While Kejriwal used to speak about the stubble burning issue earlier, this time, he has not yet spoke," Vij was quoted as saying According to the BJP leader, “the AAP is not doing anything about the issue since they have their government in Punjab."

Also read: 85% paddy area in Punjab yet to be cleared of stubble; late spike likely

On Wednesday, the Centre said that the incidents of stubble burning have started increasing rapidly, especially in Punjab, and that the state government has not taken adequate steps to prevent farm fires. Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav - during an inter-ministerial meeting on the issue of crop residue burning in Delhi-NCR - expressed concerns that the Punjab government has not been able to take coordinated actions to contain farm fires.

"The state had been provided with a sufficient number of equipment and farm machinery and adequate funds, yet there has not been sufficient progress in implementation of the action plan," he said.

According to estimates, Punjab and Haryana generate around 27 million tonnes of paddy straw a year, and out of this around 6.4 million tonnes are not managed, reported news agency PTI. Punjab reported 71,304 farm fires between September 15 and November 30 last year and 83,002 farm fires in the corresponding period in 2020, reported PTI citing Indian Agricultural Research Institute data.

Meanwhile, in recent days, several states have banned firecrackers in order to control air pollution levels. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) on Monday prohibited the manufacture, sale, and use of all kinds of firecrackers, excluding green crackers, immediately. According to an order, various events occurring during winter months aggravated air pollution levels in the state.

(With inputs from agencies)