NEW DELHI: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of making misleading claims about paddy harvesting in the state, saying the Punjab government’s own data showed that 77.38 per cent of the paddy area had been harvested by November 2.
Sirsa questioned whether smoke from Punjab was reaching Delhi and cited rising farm-fire incidents to highlight the deterioration in air quality. He said Delhi’s AQI rose from 60 on October 30 to 117 on October 31 and 377 on November 4.
Punjab recorded 584 farm fires on November 3, compared with 98 on November 2 and 292 on October 31. Between October 29 and November 3, the state reported 1,383 incidents, taking its cumulative tally to 2,196. “I am showing present data showing pollution in Punjab; the figure is over 1,100 in Bathinda and over 1,000 in Talwandi Sabo,” Sirsa said, alleging that the AAP was putting the health of Punjab’s residents at risk. He said Tarn Taran recorded 545 farm fires, followed by Ferozepur with 305 and Amritsar with 198 as of November 3.
According to the Decision Support System, stubble burning contributed an estimated 20.2 per cent to Delhi’s pollution on November 4.
Sirsa questioned the Punjab government’s claim of a reduction of over 90 per cent in stubble burning. He said the state had registered 494 FIRs by November 3, while prosecution proceedings had been initiated in 16 cases and warning notices issued in 609 cases.
