Delhi Pollution: BJP, AAP Trade Blames Over Stubble Burning As National Capital Gasps For Clean Air

Delhi air pollution levels are now at alarming levels with the amount of toxicity comparable to toxic wildfire. Amid this, the BJP and the AAP have been blaming each other for stubble burning.

Delhi Pollution: A day after the Supreme Court pulled up the Centre and called The Environmental Protection Act "toothless", the Bharatiya Janata Party shifted the blame to the Aam Punjab and Delhi government. The BJP accused the Punjab government of failing to control stubble burning and the Delhi government of resorting to "drama" for three winter months. The AAP had earlier blamed buses in Uttar Pradesh for the Pollution in Delhi.

The air quality in Delhi has dropped to alarming levels, with the AQI reaching as high as 336 on Thursday.

On Thursday, BJP leader RP Singh said, "As many as 1,580 cases of stubble burning have been reported in Punjab this year, whereas only 665 in Haryana. But, they [AAP] do politics only to get away from the fundamental issues."

"The main cause of pollution throughout the year is vehicular pollution. Delhi needs 15,000 buses whereas it has only 4,976 buses of which PM Modi has given 1700 electric buses. Is the Delhi govt ever worried about how to facilitate last-mile connectivity? We had to increase the Green Belt by planting more trees, was it done? They just do drama from October 25 to January 25 and then they sleep," Singh said.

AAP Blames BJP Governments For Delhi Pollution

Former Delhi Deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia, however, had earlier said that the Punjab government had significantly brought down stubble burning. At the ABP Impact Makers Conclave on October 22, Sisodia said: "The Centre has acknowledged that stubble-burning was down in Punjab by 50%. However, in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, stubble burning had increased by 1.5 times." He said this was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the Delhi government's efforts to bring down pollution. "The Centre needs to rise above such low-level politics," Sisodia had said.

He also accused Haryana and UP of deliberately releasing untreated industrial effluent into the Yamuna right before Chhath Puja. "The Centre should worry about the NCR and sit with the governments of UP and Haryana and find a solution," he said.

Delhi Pollution Control Measures

Meanwhile the  Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)on Monday imposed GRAP stage-2 restrictions on October 22. This means there will be restrictions on the use of coal, firewood, and diesel generator sets in Delhi-NCR. Mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling on selected roads in Delhi-NCR will also be carried out.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said an additional workforce of 6,200 personnel will be deployed to undertake pollution-control measures and the frequency of state buses will be increased to encourage commute by public transport.