No action against stubble burning by other state govts: Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that despite the Delhi government having urged the governments in Haryana, Punjab and the Centre several times, none of them have taken much initiative to stop stubble burning, which will lead to the Capital witnessing a massive drop in air quality.

"We have been pursuing with Central Haryana and Punjab govts, yet no concrete action has been taken. Farmers again helpless. The entire region including Delhi will again become gas chamber. People will again face difficulty in breathing. This is criminal," tweeted Kejriwal on Friday.

Adding to his sentiment, a statement from the Environment Department noted, "This situation clearly indicates that stubble burning may be widespread in the countryside of neighboring states - Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh."

"This situation leads to a reasonable apprehension that Delhi may witness and experience another episode of worsening ambient air quality conditions in the coming weeks and months.

"It also shows that the central government and governments of these States have not seriously taken up the issue of preventing stubble burning despite repeated requests from the Delhi government," the statement added.

"In my view, such an unpleasant situation was preventable and if the Centre and these state governments wake up even now, northern India can still be saved from disastrous consequences of air pollution in coming days," said Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain.