Chandigarh, Nov 3 (IANS) Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Baltej Pannu on Tuesday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for blaming Punjab’s farmers for Delhi’s pollution while conveniently ignoring the substantial efforts made by the Bhagwant Mann-led government and farmers to manage paddy stubble.
Taking a direct aim at the Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Media In-charge Pannu said that BJP leaders are making Punjab’s farmers scapegoats instead of addressing the multiple sources of pollution in the national capital.
Pointing out that Parliament’s data recorded an 80 per cent decline in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab last year and that the state government has deployed more than 21,000 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines, the AAP leader challenged the Delhi Minister and other BJP leaders to visit Punjab and witness the ground reality instead of spreading propaganda.
He also reminded the Centre that it had refused to share the financial burden of stubble management despite the state government’s offer, asserting that BJP leaders must answer for Delhi’s pollution instead of shifting the blame onto Punjab’s farmers.
“Even before the paddy harvesting season had properly begun, certain leaders had started running a campaign to defame Punjab for Delhi’s pollution. How can smoke from Punjab supposedly cross Haryana and reach Delhi through some imaginary pipeline so quickly? BJP leaders are conveniently ignoring the multiple sources of pollution in the national capital. Several reports and even discussions in Parliament have established that stubble burning is not the only cause of Delhi’s pollution,” he said.
Citing the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav’s statement in Parliament, Pannu added, “Stubble-burning incidents in Punjab declined by 80 per cent last year due to improved management and sustained efforts. The Bhagwant Mann government has further strengthened these efforts this year, with more than 21,000 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines purchased for stubble management. These include 14,274 Super Seeders, which have emerged as the most popular machines among farmers, along with Mulchers, MB Ploughs and Baling Machines. Punjab ranks among the leading states in the country in the use of agricultural machinery.”
He said that farmers are increasingly taking advantage of government subsidies ranging from 50 to 80 per cent to purchase these machines.
Many farmers and private operators are also renting out machinery, making it accessible to more cultivators.
Across major highways connecting Zirakpur to Bathinda, Chandigarh to Ludhiana, Mohali to Sirhind and on the Amritsar highway, large quantities of paddy stubble can be seen collected and compressed into bales.
“These bales are being transported to industries and used as raw material rather than being burnt in fields,” Pannu said.
He also asked that why is Haryana, despite having fewer stubble-management machines than Punjab, not being subjected to the same scrutiny?
“Travelling from Punjab to Delhi takes at least four to five hours by road. The simplistic claim that smoke from Punjab directly reaches Delhi is an attempt to mislead people rather than an evidence-based explanation,” he added.
–IANS
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