Your smog is not our doing, Punjab, Haryana tell Delhi on pollution issue

The New Indian Express , Tuesday, November 08, 2016
Correspondent : Harpreet Bajwa
CHANDIGARH: Ministers of Punjab and Haryana summoned up much righteous indignation Monday to hit back at the Delhi government for trying to blame the two states for the pollution crisis gripping the national capital.

At a meeting convened by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in Delhi today, Tota Singh or Punjab and Vipul Goel of Haryana said it was a bit rich for the Delhi chief minister to blame his city's air quality on the burning of crop residues in the neighbouring states, which have at any rate done much to curb the practice anyway.

At the same time, the chief minister of Haryana, M L Khattar announced a slew of measures to dissuade farmers in his state from setting fire to their stubbles. The state announced plans to set up straw bales in each block in the next financial year to deal with the problem of burning of agricultural residue in the fields.

He said pollution levels in the state have spiked due to several reasons like smoke, burning of agricultural residue, construction activities, Diwali firecrackers, and lack of atmospheric circulation and so on.

All the same, the two ministers said the burning of crop stubble could not be the sole cause of the capital's smog. In fact, Goel said, Delhi's own dust and poison-spewing vehicles were greater culprits than crops in the two agrarian states.

Tota Singh, Punjab's minister for agriculture, said air pollution in Delhi has been six times higher than in Punjab since Diwali, and this could not be accounted for by crop burning.

Goel, Haryana's environment minister, said surveys have indicated pollution due to residue burning has been effectively reduced.

While defending itself in the MoEF meeting, Haryana has got down to taking measures to manage the pollution fallout. It is considering a proposal to shift thermal power plants from their present locations. Plus, measures such as the closure of stone crushers for five days and a stop to manufacturing in brick kilns for three days are being considered.

Additionally, government hospitals in Haryana have been asked to work round the clock to treat cases of ill health due to pollution. Also, the deputy commissioners in the affected districts have been empowered to declare holidays for schools should the pollution situation worsen.

Chief minister Khattar has directed the health department to issue an advisory to people about the measures to be taken to protect themselves from smog. This includes sprinkling water in front of their houses and staying away from work in smoke-filled areas.

 
SOURCE : http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2016/nov/07/your-smog-is-not-our-doing-punjab-haryana-tell-delhi-on-pollution-issue-1536005.html
 


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