Delhi Minister Allegedly Calls Out AAP Over Forced Stubble Burning

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accuses AAP of forcing Punjab farmers to burn stubble, escalating pollution in Delhi. Sirsa claims farmers are unwilling participants, implicates AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, and highlights BJP's efforts to combat long-standing pollution issues. CAQM enforces GRAP Stage 2 in Delhi-NCR to curb air quality decline.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of compelling Punjab farmers to burn stubble, thereby exacerbating pollution in the capital. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Sirsa presented videos as evidence, claiming that farmers were reluctant to set their fields ablaze but were coerced into doing so.

Sirsa alleged, "The AAP is deliberately forcing farmers to burn stubble in Punjab by making them cover their faces. They do not want to burn the stubble but have been coerced into it with implications for Delhi's air quality. Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leader and former Chief Minister, has mismanaged the situation over his past ten years of service," he added. The minister mentioned that the BJP has been working for nearly seven months on mitigating what he described as a 27-year-old issue.

In response to deteriorating air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management has enforced Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi-NCR as of Sunday. The commission urged all concerned agencies to intensively implement measures under Stages I and II of GRAP to prevent further degradation of air quality. Agencies have been instructed to watch vigilantly and amplify efforts in line with the GRAP framework, including taking necessary dust mitigation steps across the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)