By Vivek Gupta

Chandigarh: Stubble fires in Punjab increased substantially after the state recorded 3,634 stubble fires on Wednesday, November 2.

Punjab was dotted with red and yellow spots in Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI)’s satellite imagery released after the state recorded the highest cases of the season on Wednesday.

21,480 stubble fires recorded so far from September 15 to November 2 are already 19% higher than last year’s 18,064 cases reported during the same period.

The chances of the state crossing last year’s 71,304 stubble fires can’t be ruled out.

Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, professor of Environment at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), said that stubble fire counts will intensify even further in the coming days as farmers are clearing the stubble in their fields to sow the next wheat crop.

As Delhi has literally turned gas chambers and air quality in Punjab and Haryana are equally bad, the centre mounted an attack on Aam Aadmi Party, blaming it for its failure to reduce the stubble fires in Punjab, a state it is ruling since March this year.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in a series of tweets said that as of today, Punjab, a state run by the AAP government, has seen an over 19% rise in farm fires over 2021. Haryana has seen a 30.6% drop.

“There is no doubt over who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber,” he added.

Hitting back, AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal blamed the centre saying that the Modi government was responsible for stubble-burning fires in Punjab as it declined the proposal to incentivise Punjab farmers.

He said the problem of bad air pollution was not only in Delhi and Punjab. It has been a problem all across north India, for which the intervention of the Prime Minister is needed.

“If Modi govt is unable to handle the looming crisis, it must step down and let those who can solve the problem,” he added.

On the other hand, Yadav said, “The scam is where AAP is.

Read full story https://www.newsdrum.in/national/centre-mounts-attack-on-aap-as-stubble-fires-near-peak-in-