The Delhi government is laying blame on Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration, accusing them of being responsible for the thick, toxic haze that engulfed the national capital after Deepavali. Delhi officials allege that the neighboring state compelled its farmers to engage in an unprecedented amount of paddy stubble burning on the festival night, which led to the severe air pollution.
The day after Deepavali, Delhi awoke to a suffocating grey haze, with drastically reduced visibility and air quality plummeting into the ‘red zone’. This occurred despite Supreme Court directives that limited firecracker bursting to a strict two-hour window, a rule that was widely disregarded across the city.
During a press conference, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa directly criticized the AAP, accusing them of engaging in ‘religious politics’. He asserted that while AAP leaders had ‘condemned the Delhi Chief Minister, the BJP, and Sanatan Dharma followers for their festival celebrations,’ the true culprit behind the capital’s deteriorating air quality was extensive stubble burning in Punjab.
Sirsa emphasized that every religion has the right to observe its festivals, implying that firecrackers are an essential part of Deepavali celebrations.
He highlighted that even with the lifting of the ban on green firecrackers this year, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) saw only a slight increase from 345 before Deepavali to 356 the following morning—a mere 11-point rise. This contrasts sharply with previous years, where the AQI increased by 32 units last year and a significant 83 units in 2023.
Sirsa stated that this minimal 11-point increase occurred despite reports of the highest number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab on Deepavali night, presenting videos as purported evidence of crop residue burning in the neighboring state.
“We are proud that our government allowed people to celebrate Deepavali in its traditional manner,” Sirsa declared.
Echoing this sentiment, Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood added that firecrackers alone are not the sole cause of pollution in the capital, noting that ‘incidents’ happening in neighboring regions also significantly impact the city’s air quality.
Sirsa reiterated his accusation that the AAP was injecting religion into political discourse. He challenged, “Will the AAP question the sacrifice of goats by our Muslim community on Eid? I implore [AAP chief] Arvind Kejriwal to refrain from using religion in politics. Our disagreements can be purely political, without involving religious matters.” He affirmed, “We have honored public sentiment and fostered genuine religious equality, upholding every religion’s right to celebrate its festivals.”
Furthermore, Sirsa asserted that the Delhi government ensured only green, barium-free firecrackers were available for sale during the three days when the ban was temporarily lifted.
He also mentioned that the government had petitioned the Supreme Court to permit green crackers and had approached both the Supreme Court and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to allow 10- and 15-year-old vehicles on the roads.
In an effort to combat pollution, the government brought 15,000 industries in redevelopment zones under a consent management framework, with approximately 6,000 receiving approval to operate. All construction projects exceeding 500 square meters have been registered on the C&D portal for dust control monitoring.
The Minister also detailed other measures, including distributing about 1,500 heaters to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to reduce biomass burning, initiating an innovation challenge, requiring automatic sprinkler systems in high-rise commercial buildings, and ensuring the daily processing of 8,000 tonnes of waste.
This follows last week’s Supreme Court decision to temporarily permit the sale and use of green firecrackers, limiting their use to two specific one-hour windows—6 AM to 7 AM and 8 PM to 10 PM—on October 19 and 20.