Environment minister Bhupender Yadav accuses AAP-led Punjab govt of turning Delhi into gas chamber

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday shared a graphic and statistics on Twitter to explain how Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government is responsible for turning Delhi into a “gas chamber”.

He said that while Punjab saw a more than 19% rise in farm fires over what was seen in 2021, while Haryana (where the BJP in power) has seen a 30.6% drop in stubble burning during the same period.

“There is no doubt over who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber. Scam is where AAP is…,” Yadav said, adding that about ₹492 crore was available, but the state government chose to sit with the funds forcing helpless farmers to burn the crop residue.

“Just today, Punjab saw 3,634 fires… There is no doubt over who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber.”

“Last year, ₹212 crore were left unspent. This year, the Central Govt gave Punjab ₹280 crore for crop residue management machines. So about ₹492 crore was available but the state govt chose to sit with the funds forcing helpless farmers to burn the crop residue.”

Yadav further said Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has failed to provide relief to farmers even in his own turf of Sangrur.

“Last year (Sept 15-Nov 2) farm fires in Sangrur stood at 1,266. This year they have shot up by 139% rising to 3,025.”

Earlier in the day, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai accused the BJP of targeting farmers in Punjab for stubble burning because of their earlier protests against the three now-scrapped farm laws.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said there should be no politics on the issue of farm fires and no FIRs against farmers for setting fire to crop residue.

“Don’t do politics on the issue of pollution. Pollution is not only in Delhi and Punjab, it is in the entire north India. Don’t abuse the farmer. Don’t file FIR against them. People of Punjab and Delhi are taking all steps at their level. The Center will have to come forward and work out a solution with all the state governments,” he wrote on Twitter.

Rai said farmers are forced to burn stubble in Punjab because the BJP-led Centre did not support the state government’s plan to provide a cash incentive to them for not burning the crop residue.

“Everybody is asking the same question — why has stubble burning not reduced despite AAP being in power in Delhi and Punjab? Stubble burning has not reduced because the Centre has denied support,” Rai told a press conference here.

According to reports, the share of stubble burning in Delhi PM2.5 pollution rose to 32 per cent on Wednesday, the highest this year so far.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) reported 3,634 farm fires in Punjab on Wednesday, the highest this year so far. The number stood at 1,842 on Tuesday, 2,131 on Monday, 1,761 on Sunday, 1,898 on Saturday and 2,067 on Friday.

SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, said the share of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution increased to 32 per cent due to favourable transport-level wind speed.