Dont want blame game: CMs Kejriwal, Mann take responsibility for stubble burning

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With pollution levels in Delhi continuing to worsen, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday addressed a press conference along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said that pollution is not only a Delhi-Punjab problem, it is a North India problem and urged the Center to take specific steps to save North India. Both chief ministers also took responsibility for the stubble burning in Punjab.

Kejriwal said that the Delhi government is considering implementing the odd-even scheme to control vehicular pollution across Delhi-NCR.

Kejriwal or Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not solely responsible for the poor air quality and increasing pollution level in the country. Air quality level is also severe in other cities like Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar. This is not the time to blame each other…We dont want any blame game and politics, we will have to work together to solve this pollution problem…The central government should take specific steps to save North India from pollution, Kejriwal said.

Both chief ministers admitted that parali (stubble) was being burned in Punjab but requested the Opposition not to blame the farmers. It has been just six months since AAP has come to power and we admit that there is stubble burning in Punjab and we take responsibility for it. We will take responsibility if stubble is burning in Punjab, steps and measures are being taken to address this issue from our side…We do not want to play any blame game or politics over this matter, Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, CM Mann promised that his government in Punjab was taking initiative and working on plans to reduce stubble burning. We hope that by next year, on today’s date, there will be a significant reduction in stubble burning in Punjab, he said.

This year, Mann said, there was bumper paddy crop production in Punjab because of which the quantity of stubble is also huge. But we have made arrangements of 1.20 lakh machines to bury stubble in the fields and held meetings with villages and gram panchayats. A resolution has been passed to not burn stubble. There are about 4-5 machines for every village and announcements are also made on a daily basis from gurudwaras asking people to come and take the machines to bury stubble and not burn it on field…We will take responsibility that there is burning and smoke in air due to burning in Punjab, said Mann.

The Punjab chief minister also said that paddy crop cultivation is done on around 75 lakh acres of land across the state and no stubble is burnt in 35 lakh acres. We are trying to stop stubble burning in the remaining 40 lakh acres of land. We are also planning to hold meetings and discuss with farmers and help them to shift to some other crops like mustard. But I appeal to the Center to discuss the stubble burning matter with all stakeholders and states, then only the problem will be solved, he said.

Mann further urged the Center for a joint meeting of all chief ministers, experts and states to discuss and come up with an expert opinion to solve the stubble burning problem.

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