Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Friday addressed a joint press conference amidst rising air pollution in the National Capital. One of the major reasons why Delhi has been engulfed in the cloak of air pollution is stubble burning. Punjab has witnessed an increase in stubble burning in the state and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has been under the scanner of the opposition parties, especially the BJP. However, during the joint press conference, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann sought more time from the people of India to stop stubble burning and ultimately reduce the air pollution of the country.
On rising stubble-burning cases, Kejriwal said, "Six months is very short and we have addressed other issues during AAP's short tenure in Punjab which included law and order." Kejriwal added that "Give us one more year and we will be holding the same press conference in different circumstances."
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on the other hand said that no farmers want to burn stubble, they only do it because no alternative is available for them. Mann pointed out that the record procurement of paddy and wheat means the record emergence of stubble in the state and therefore increase in the number of cases and ultimately air pollution.
What Bhagwant Mann-led govt did to stop stubble burning?
Mann pointed out that PAU has developed an app that showcases machines available for farmers in nearby areas they can use as an alternative for stubble burning. Furthermore, Mann stated that an awareness campaign was also conducted in which announcements were made in Gurudwaras. Not only this, but Mann also said that a formal decree was passed in many gram sabha panchayats vowing 'not to burn stubble'. The Punjab CM stated despite these measures if stubble burning is going on then 'we take the responsibility, but we had limited time'.
Stubble burning in Punjab
Punjab on Thursday witnessed 2,666 farm fire incidents. Sangrur topped districts with a maximum of 452 crop residue burning cases, reported Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. On Wednesday, Punjab clocked 3,634 cases of stubble burning. According to the data from the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, the cumulative farm fire cases from September 15 to November 2 reached 21,480. In the corresponding periods in 2020 and 2021, Punjab registered 36,765 and 17,921 farm fire incidents respectively.