New Delhi: Union setting minister Bhupender Yadav has responded to claims by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann that lack of help from the Union authorities led to situations of stubble burning in Punjab and, in flip, ‘extreme’ air air pollution ranges in Delhi.
Citing information, Yadav mentioned Punjab accounted for over 90 per cent of farm fires reported this yr in states bordering Delhi.
In an interview with ThePrint, Yadav mentioned that regardless of the Union authorities extending all doable assist, the Aam Aadmi Get together (AAP) authorities in Punjab was indulging in politics as an alternative of constructing any progress in curbing farm fires, which contribute to air pollution within the NCR.
Whereas lauding Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for his or her efforts to fight air air pollution, Yadav dismissed the cost that the central authorities was treating the difficulty as a political one. The identical yardstick was adopted for all states, he mentioned, including that worsening air high quality in Delhi-NCR was a results of the failure of the Punjab authorities to curb situations of farm fires.
Final week, the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) accused Kejriwal of not doing sufficient to comprise air pollution ranges and demanded the closure of Delhi’s colleges. Kejriwal responded by asking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation, accusing him of neglecting the air pollution disaster.
“Regardless of a really profitable area expertise with the applying of bio-decomposer for in-situ administration of stubble within the state of Uttar Pradesh and in addition in Delhi, no efforts had been made in Punjab for using this efficient approach for administration of stubble. Even the CSR (company social duty) initiative by a non-public organisation for bio-decomposer utility was not facilitated in Punjab,” claimed Yadav.
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‘Haryana & UP delivering, not like Punjab’
On AAP’s declare that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are being let off the hook regardless of witnessing situations of stubble burning, he mentioned information exhibits that there was a discount in farm fires within the two BJP-ruled states. A complete of two,249 farm fires had been recorded in Haryana between 15 September and a couple of November this yr, in comparison with 3,241 incidents in the identical interval final yr, a discount of about 31 per cent, he identified.
“We strictly observe the mantra of compliance for all, and each Haryana and UP have been delivering, not like Punjab,” he advised ThePrint.
He added, “In the course of the present paddy harvesting season 2022, cumulative (farm) fireplace counts owing to paddy stubble burning for the interval between 15 September and 4 November in Punjab stood at 26,583, 2,440 for Haryana, 36 for UP (NCR), 9 for Delhi and one for Rajasthan (NCR).”
Evaluating states’ efforts to comprise stubble burning, he mentioned, not like Punjab, “beneath related circumstances, Haryana has been capable of considerably carry down farm fires in 2022 by efficient utilisation of obtainable equipment, increasing the bio-decomposer utility, and facilitating and enhancing using paddy straw for numerous ex-situ functions”.
“In NCR districts of UP, too, there was a discount in farm fires from 55 in 2021 to 34 in 2022 in the course of the mentioned interval. That is indicative that if there’s a will and dedication to systematically working in the direction of prevention and management of paddy stubble burning, outcomes could be evident on the bottom by way of lowered situations of open burning,” he added.
‘What had been they doing these previous 6 months?’
Referring to Kejriwal’s remarks that his authorities will want one other yr to carry down air air pollution ranges in Delhi beneath the ‘extreme’ class, Yadav had one query: “What had been they doing for the previous six months?”
Kejriwal is urging the central authorities to deliberate on the difficulty however “they haven’t been attending conferences” known as prior to now, he alleged.
“A number of conferences, conferences (invitations), and alerts have been despatched to the AAP governments however they’ve been declining them. They didn’t even take part within the setting convention that came about in Kevadia (in Gujarat) in September which was attended by all setting ministers. They haven’t even been attending digital conferences,” mentioned Yadav.
The central authorities, he mentioned, has been repeatedly following up with the Punjab authorities to sensitise the state administration about preparedness to stop and management incidents of stubble burning. This correspondence began in February itself, properly earlier than the paddy sowing season, he added.
“Regardless of a collaborative strategy and hand-holding by the central authorities, the Punjab authorities has not been capable of impact the specified outcomes, and situations of stubble burning this yr have even surpassed the rely in 2021 within the corresponding interval. Punjab has contributed to greater than 90 per cent of the cumulative farm fires witnessed within the present yr in Punjab, Haryana, UP (NCR), Delhi and Rajasthan (NCR),” mentioned Yadav.
Yadav added that the Punjab authorities made “no efforts” to make use of PUSA bio-decomposer, which the Fee for Air High quality Administration (CAQM) suggested states to make use of for “supplementing efforts for in-situ administration of paddy stubble”, regardless of profitable area experiences in UP and Delhi.
Including, “Whereas about 5 lakh acres has been deliberate for by Haryana, and 1.4 lakh acres in NCR districts of UP this season, no efforts had been made in Punjab for using this efficient approach for administration of stubble.”
Explaining how stubble burning adversely impacts the general air high quality in NCR and adjoining areas, together with the areas the place these farm fires originate, Yadav mentioned that the “episodic rise in stubble burning incidents presently being witnessed in Punjab is impacting Delhi’s total AQI (air high quality index) to various ranges on a day-to-day foundation with the utmost contribution of stubble burning touching about 30 per cent.”
Even the Punjab authorities’s IEC (data, schooling & communication) actions and campaigns appear to be ineffective, he mentioned, including that “ineffective monitoring and enforcement on the area stage can also be evident regardless of greater than 8,000 nodal officers reported to be deployed for the aim by the state authorities.”
Highlighting efforts made to assist Punjab, Yadav mentioned the Union authorities, by its CRM (crop-residue administration) scheme, has allotted Rs 1,347 crore to the state over the past 5 monetary years, together with the present fiscal yr.
“Big selection of farm equipment to facilitate in-situ and ex-situ administration of paddy stubble has been procured by Punjab by allocations made beneath the scheme. Together with extra procurement within the present yr, a complete of greater than 1,20,000 machines can be found within the state. Greater than 13,900 customized hiring centres (CHC) have been established within the state to facilitate farm equipment for in-situ and ex-situ farm functions beneath the CRM scheme,” he mentioned.
“The utilisation of the out there equipment has, nonetheless, been removed from passable and heavy idling of machines has been a giant drain on the assets,” Yadav claimed.
Countering the AAP’s cost that the BJP-ruled central authorities is “anti-farmer”, he mentioned it already gives a “heavy subsidy for procurement of crop residue equipment” beneath the agriculture ministry’s CRM scheme.
“Additional, the respective state governments have numerous schemes for facilitating or incentivising farmers to undertake sustainable agricultural residue administration practices and never burn stubble,” Yadav advised ThePrint.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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