Centre not doing anything to resolve rising pollution levels in north India: Manish Sisodia

In a bid to curb the rising pollution levels from stubble burning, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Environment Minister Gopal Rai kick-started the sprinkling of a bio-decomposer solution, prepared by Pusa Research Institute, in a field at Hiranki Village in Narela area of the national capital on October 13.

The process aims to convert stubble into compost and help in doing away with the practice of burning it.

While talking to the media, Kejriwal said the government has made all arrangements and farmers will not have to spend any money.

"There is around 700-800 hectares of land in Delhi where non-basmati rice is cultivated. We have made all arrangements. Farmers will not have to spend any money. Sprinkling will be done, stubble will get converted into compost and the land will be ready for crops in 20-25 days," Kejriwal told ANI.

"Stubble burning has started again in the surrounding states due to which smoke has started reaching Delhi," he added.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia echoed a similar thought and said that pollution especially that related to stubble burning is not an issue for Delhi alone but for entire north India. He added, "Unfortunately, the central government did not do anything to resolve it. They sat idly throughout the year. Entire north India is suffering."

Pollution plus Corona has become lethal for people. Centre sits idly all through the year, holds some meetings around this time and then don't do anything after that. I would like to tell them that they will have to play a role to reduce pollution in north India: Delhi Deputy CM https://t.co/tkPSd22ahb

— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2020

For the past two days, Delhi's pollution level has reached 'very poor' category amid stubble burning in neighbouring states.

Amid increasing levels of air pollution in the national capital region, close to 700 cases of stubble burning were reported from Punjab and Haryana between September 21 and September 29, according to sources in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.