Delhi Labor Minister Kapil Mishra alleged in a press conference on Monday that stubble was deliberately burnt in Punjab on the evening of Diwali. He called it a conspiracy against farmers, Diwali, Delhi and Punjab. The worst wind has been recorded in Delhi on Diwali after 2021. Machines recording Air Quality Index (AQI) were closed at many places after it crossed 1000.
Now Kapil Mishra, citing satellite data, said that there were incidents of stubble burning at 100 to 125 places in Punjab on 5, 6 and 7 November. This number reached around 1200 places on the evening of Diwali. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the BJP government at the Center and Delhi of falsifying AQI data.
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'Punjab farmers don't know their fields were burnt'
Kapil Mishra said that he started receiving calls from farmers of Punjab on the evening of Diwali. Farmers told that their fields are being set on fire at night. According to Kapil Mishra, the people who set fire used to run away, while the farmers were celebrating Diwali at home. He said that at first he did not believe it. After this the government ordered satellite data. He asked how the incidents increased 10 times.
'The fire was set at the behest of AAP leaders'
Kapil Mishra appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to get these 1200 places investigated and register an FIR. He also said that the phone records of AAP leaders from Delhi who are in Punjab should be investigated. Mishra alleges that this campaign was started two days ago. He said that if found guilty, there should be jail.
'Paid campaign launched to defame Diwali'
Kapil Mishra also accused AAP of running a paid campaign to defame Diwali. He said that the farmers of Punjab did not want to burn stubble. He also claimed that this time there has been a decline of only 1 percent in AQI before and after Diwali, whereas by 2022 there would have been an increase of about 50 percent. Delhi's average AQI was 370 at 9:05 am on Monday. AQI was recorded above 400 in 'severe' category at 8 monitoring centres.
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What flaw is Saurabh Bhardwaj seeing in the AQI figures?
Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the government is doing fraud with AQI data. He alleged that the government has installed 20 new monitoring stations in lush green and open areas. According to him, there is less population and traffic in these areas, hence the average will decrease.
Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that water is being continuously sprinkled over the monitoring station of Jahangirpuri. He also alleged that the government closed AQI stations on the night of Diwali. He says that due to these reasons less data is visible while pollution does not reduce.
Saurabh Bhardwaj said that he complained about this by writing a letter to CAQM and CPCB, but no action was taken. Saurabh Bhardwaj has also accused the government of vote theft, donations to Ram Temple and GDP data.