Smog in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal’s men bat for Punjab farmers

By Aanchal Bansal

NEW DELHI | KAPURI: The dangerously high levels of air pollution have caught the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a political smog. Eyeing gains in the Punjab polls, the party agitated hard against farmers being penalised for burning crop residue.

Now those very fumes have been identified as the main culprit for turning Delhi into a “gas chamber.”

With AAP fronting the cause in Punjab, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also played to the galleries.

As a result, only 400 challans were recorded until October this year as against 1,200 in Haryana, said officials of the Supreme Courtappointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA).

EPCA chairman Bhure Lal admitted the action taken by state governments against erring farmers has been lacklustre for electoral reasons.

In a meeting held in October, officials from the Punjab pollution board apparently conceded political parties pressurised and opposed the challaning drive. “It is very unfortunate, but we asked them to at least spread awareness and take other measures,” he told ET.

The National Environment Engineering Research Institute has observed in a study that farm fires in Punjab and Haryana contribute to nearly 60% of the particulate matter that flies into Delhi in the post-harvest season.

On ground, AAP’s message is clear. Take Kapuri village in Patiala district, some 250 km from Delhi, where ET caught up with 59-yearold farmer Mahendra Singh. He admits that the cough is mainly due to the smoke billowing out of these fields. “I cannot afford the equipment used by richer farmers...and I must prepare for the next sowing.”

While pollution board officials do come looking for offenders, Singh is confident of getting by this time.

“This is the election season, no one will let them bother.” Balwant Singh, a fellow farmer and Panchayat member, agrees. “The government was strict last year, but this time all parties have been opposing the drive. We just have to call the party workers for help.”

AAP’s prospective candidate Anu Randhawa may not have visited this Block of 116 villages but both Mahendra and Balwant claim her party workers are always helpful on such “harassment” by officials.

Kanwar Sandhu, who chairs AAP manifesto committee in Punjab, says challaning amounts to harassment since the SAD government has taken no measures to provide alternatives. “Most farmers cannot afford the seeding machines as each machine costs `70-80 lakh at least.”

Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal’s Advisor Harcharan Bains, who challenged Kejriwal’s stance on Punjab’s contribution to Delhi’s air pollution, said: “We are not denying that farm fires are causing pollution, all we are saying is it’s not right to penalise the farmer for this.”