Even as Delhi’s air quality turned ‘hazardous’ on Tuesday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 551, Punjab’s agriculture minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal, in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, said his state can’t be blamed for the capital’s pollution.
“Punjab stubble is not the cause of pollution in Delhi. Rohtak, Panipat, Sonepat are the ones contributing to Delhi’s pollution. How can Punjab’s pollution reach Delhi? How can Amritsar’s, and not Panipat’s smoke, reach Delhi,” he asked.
When asked what could be the solution to stubble burning, he replied: “As far as paddy is concerned we hardly use it. We consume it during weddings or programmes. We grow it for the rest of the country. Our water level has reduced because the paddy. The best solution is to reduce the cultivation of paddy and encourage farmers to grow other crops.”
Dhaliwal, when asked why the machines given by the centre to manage the stubble were lying idle, said: “We started registration… 30k were sent out. But because of the social structure in villages, it is not being used properly. Demand for the machines is high and supply is less. We require two lakh machines, but we only have 1.20 lakh.”
Dhaliwal went on to blame the Centre for the problem. “I want to ask Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar to visit Punjab, along with Haryana’s agriculture minister. We will show them the reality… Tomar has not given machines from his own pocket. It is out of state’s GST share… Centre is the only one responsible for this mess.”
Responding to the claims of more farm fires in Sangrur compared to other areas, he said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to malign Punjab and its farmers. It is a matter of concern that Sangrur is reporting highest number of farm fires. We are concerned about the state too.”
