Delhi, Haryana govts should take joint action to control air pollution: Dy CM

Visiting Gurugram for the first time after taking oath as the state’s deputy chief minister on October 27, Dushyant Chautala expressed concern over rising air pollution

Visiting Gurugram for the first time after taking oath as the state’s deputy chief minister on October 27, Dushyant Chautala expressed concern over rising air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday and suggested that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government work with its counterpart in Haryana to address the problem of poor air quality.

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“The task of the Delhi government is to first prevent waste burning at Okhla dumping yard and at Karnal bypass (Bhalswa landfill). Stubble burning is just one form of pollution, but the hazardous chemicals that are being burned at the landfill need to be controlled first,” Chautala said, adding that the Delhi government should work with the Haryana government so that joint action can be taken in bringing down the level of air pollution in the region, where the air quality has been ‘very poor’ or ‘hazardous’ since Diwali.

On Thursday, the AQI value for Gurugram was 341 in the ‘very poor’ category, according to the CPCB monitor.

Talking to mediapersons about the poor air quality in the NCR, which is attributed to stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab, the deputy CM said, “As a Member of Parliament (MP) from Hisar, I have stressed on providing decomposers to farmers to prevent stubble burning. The issue has been discussed with the chief minister,” he said, adding that stubble management machines will be provided to farmers at subsidised rates.

“We want farmers to use the leftover straw as organic manure, which also supports the Central government’s idea of promoting organic farming and bringing down pollution,” he said.

The statement came on a day when around a 100 members of the AAP, led by members of the legislative assembly (MLAs), staged a protest at New Delhi’s Mandi House against stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana which, they said, contributes to air pollution in Delhi during winter. The Delhi unit of BJP and the Congress dismissed the claim and accused the Delhi government of passing the burden of pollution to neighbouring states, after failing to control local sources of air pollution in the city.

Responding to the statement, a senior South Delhi Municipal Corporation officer, who requested anonymity, said, “We are trying our best to contain landfill fires. We had initiated capping and greening efforts sometime back. This had drastically reduced fires which feed on methane produced by the rotting trash. After orders from the NGT, trommel (sieve-like machines to segregate the garbage) have also been installed.”

Chautala was in the city to flag off the Run for Unity from Tau Devi Lal Stadium to commemorate the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister, who played a vital role in convincing princely states to join the Union of India after Independence.

Fielding questions about the stability of BJP-JJP alliance in state, Chautala said, “We are united and will move ahead united in running a stable government.”

During his visit, Chautala also visited the Civil Hospital in Sector 10 after leaving Tau Devi Lal Stadium. He examined health services provided in the dialysis and heart centres, OPD (out-patient department) and also interacted patients and their kin.