New Delhi: Delhi’s environment condition is worsening everyday and farm fires in Punjab are also blamed for it. According to the Meteorological Department, the air quality in Delhi-NCR has reached very poor levels these days.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav today blamed the Aam Aadmi Party for the rising pollution levels in the capital. He said that today if Delhi has become a ‘gas chamber’, then the Aam Aadmi Party is responsible for it.
The Union Minister in a tweet about the increasing pollution and deteriorating air quality in Delhi, said that as of today, Punjab, a state run by the AAP government, has seen an over 19% rise in farm fires over 2021. Haryana has seen a 30.6% drop. Just today, Punjab saw 3,634 fires. There is no doubt over who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber.
He said that in the last 5 years, the Central Government gave Rs 1,347 crore for crop residue management machines to Punjab. The state bought 1,20,000 machines. 11,275 of those machines have gone missing. Money utilisation shows clear incompetence.
Last year, Rs 212 crore were left unspent. This year, the Central Govt gave Punjab Rs 280 crore for crop residue management machines. So about Rs 492 crore was available but the state govt chose to sit with the funds forcing helpless farmers to burn the crop residue.
The environment minister said that the Chief Minister of Punjab has failed to even provide relief to farmers 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.