Neighbouring states lack seriousness required to deal with air pollution: Delhi minister

Expressing disappointment over the absence of his counterparts from neighboring states at a central-level meeting on air pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday the seriousness required to deal with the issue is missing and the lax approach cannot bring any positive results. He said stubble burning is going on unabated in neighboring states despite the Supreme Court holding every official, from the chief secretary to gram panchayat level, accountable for it.

The share of smoke from stubble burning in Delhi's pollution was 18-20 percent on Monday, Gahlot said at a press conference, and informed reporters that he has written to Union minister Prakash Javadekar, Haryana and Punjab expressing his disappointment over their environment ministers' absence from the meeting convened by the Centre on Saturday on the issue of air pollution. Despite the Supreme Court's "strict directions on this very serious issue, environment ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan did not attend the meeting. The seriousness required to deal with the issue is missing... This lax approach cannot bring any positive results in the efforts to contain pollution", Gahlot alleged.

He said unpaved roads and vacant plots are the major sources of dust pollution in Delhi. The responsibility of controlling dust emission from roads and vacant plots lies with the municipal corporations and the Delhi Development Authority, respectively, Gahlot said.

"Still, the MCD commissioners and the DDA VC were not invited to the meeting... this shows that there's a lack of commitment and political will to address the issue," he said. The minister expressed concern over the pace of distribution of farm equipment to farmers for in-situ management of paddy straw.

According to an affidavit filed by the Centre in the Supreme Court, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh distributed 63,722 machines to farmers during 2018-19. In 2019-20, as many as 46,309 machines have been distributed, Gahlot said. "The number of machines distributed is minuscule as compared to the total number of farmers in these states. There are around 27 lakh farmers in Punjab alone. If the same speed continues, it will take another 60 years for the machines to reach every farmer... It seems stubble burning will continue at the same pace next year too," he said.