New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Manoj Tiwari, on Friday blamed the Punjab government for increased pollution levels in Delhi, alleging that it was under the Bhagwant Mann-led government that the state was witnessing major stubble burning. Earlier, Delhi Environment Minister Ashish Sood had made a similar allegation. Addressing a press conference, Tiwari lashed out at the AAP, alleging that when the party was in power in the national Capital, it "harmed Delhi in every possible way. Whether it was water, the environment, or other issues, Delhi suffered greatly."

The BJP MP then claimed, "Now that they are no longer in power here and are sitting in Punjab, we are seeing the conspiracies and schemes they are carrying out from there. It is very important for every resident of Delhi to know this." Maintaining that both the farmers of Punjab and the citizens of Delhi were worried about the air they breathe, he alleged: "Under the AAP government, Punjab is witnessing stubble burning. The kind of stubble burning taking place after October 30 is unprecedented."

Tiwari further claimed, "We have just received the latest data regarding Punjab's air quality situation. You will be shocked to see it. The AQI reading has reached 1435." Noting that the prevailing winds during this season move from Punjab towards Delhi, he said, "As the wind blows, pollution travels towards Delhi and further." "The figure of 1435 is from a recent reading from Punjab's Barnala and because of this, pollution levels have surged dramatically. Earlier as well, some cities in Punjab recorded AQI levels of 1100, 900, and others 1200," Manoj Tiwari alleged.

The BJP leader added: "If you then look at Delhi's AQI data, during October, the AQI generally ranged from about 100 to 174, 187, 181, 149, and even came down to 60. In fact, Delhi's AQI was 60 on October 30. But after that, it suddenly started rising, and by November 3 it had reached 300." Meanwhile, according to a report by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), a total of 2,787 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded across the state.

The findings gathered under CAQMS Monitoring and Enforcement Actions Report, till November 5 shows that Patiala alone recorded 156 cases of stubble burning. The report also indicates that environmental compensation (EC) fines, totaling Rs 46.10 lakh, were imposed in 914 cases, of which Rs 24.85 lakh has been recovered. As many as 710 FIRs have been registered by the Punjab government under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to crack down on stubble burning incidents. Additionally, 'red entries' have been made in the revenue records for 829 cases.

--IANS