Delhi L-G asks Punjab CM to control stubble burning as pollution peaks; Mann hits back

Amid the increasing air pollution in Delhi, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday to flag the issue of stubble burning. Maintaining that 95 per cent of the smoke originates from stubble burning in Punjab, he urged Mann to take substantive measures to control this practice.

According to him, air pollution has resulted in a manifold increase in OPD visits and hospitalisations related to pulmonary disorders and nearly every citizen faces incessant burning of the eyes, cough and nasal discomfort. 

The Delhi L-G stated, "Incidents of Parali burning have increased by a whopping 19% in the period between October 24, 2022, to November 2, 2022, as compared to the corresponding period in 2021. Authentic data on Parali burning presents an alarming picture. The figures for 2021 and 2022 for the same period stand at 18066 and 21480 respectively. As on 2 November 2022, alone, out of the total 3825 cases of Parali burning in 6 states i.e. Punjab, Haryana, UP, MP and Rajasthan, Punjab singularly reported 3634 cases while Delhi reported zero." 

Saxena stressed that the existing situation is violative of the citizen's fundamental right to health and the right to life. While noting that the Delhi government has gone out of the way to promote a bio-decomposer via large-scale ads, he lamented that the cases of stubble burning in Punjab have not only continued unabated but increased tragically. On this occasion, the Delhi L-G requested Mann to galvanise all available resources and machinery to make farmers willing partners in defeating this repeated menace and helping Delhi breathe. 

Hitting back at the L-G, Bhagwant Mann advised him to not play politics on the issue. Taking to Twitter, he said, "L-G Sahib, you are stopping the works of the elected government of Delhi. Stopped the 'Red Light On, Car Off' campaign and are doing politics by writing to me? Politics is not right on such a serious subject."

SC's intervention

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to an early hearing of a writ petition pertaining to the increasing air pollution in Delhi. The air quality continued to dip in Delhi which recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 472 on Friday morning. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 is marked as severe/hazardous. During the hearing, CJI UU Lalit observed that the situation requires intervention. Thereafter, the bench directed that the plea be listed for a hearing on November 10.