00:00So yes, stubble burning is on in many parts of the north and in all the states surrounding Delhi.
00:06Is that the only reason behind Delhi's toxic air? Not really.
00:10The BJP says, of course, that stubble burning is happening in Punjab.
00:14They're saying that the numbers are rising.
00:16Let's put out some numbers because they tell an important story.
00:19First of all, a look at the trend in Punjab.
00:22In 2020, the state recorded 48,578 stubble burning cases.
00:27By 2021, it came down.
00:30The number had dropped to 26,583.
00:34It further came down in 2022 and then in 2023, once again, it dropped.
00:38So it looked like it was headed the right way because it kept going down.
00:41But in 2024, the figure then went to, fell sharply, in fact.
00:47So we'll just fix that particular graph.
00:49We apologize for that.
00:50It fell further to 4,394.
00:542025, 2,839.
00:57And so far this year, it's at 2,347, the number of stubble burning incidents.
01:04There's a reduction of more than 95% compared with 2020.
01:08But despite the sharp decline, Delhi continues to battle extremely high pollution levels.
01:12Here's also a look at the state-wise figures for the season between September 15th and November 4th.
01:19This particular time of year, which state has seen the maximum stubble burning incidents is very much Punjab at 2
01:27,347, as we showed you earlier.
01:30Rajasthan follows.
01:31Then you have Madhya Pradesh, then you have Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi with 2.
01:36What I want to highlight here is that each of these states border with Delhi.
01:40And so you can understand the challenge here because geographically, Delhi is landlocked.
01:44All of the incidents of stubble burning, the smoke, gathers in Delhi.
01:49There's no doubt that Punjab is the biggest single contributor, accounting for nearly 49% of those total incidents.
01:55But you look at all states, they're all unfortunately contributing.
02:01Aseem Bassi is joining us from Chandigarh with more details on really the political blame game that's broken out.
02:07Because Aseem, the ARP government is saying that no, there's no stubble burning incidents in Punjab.
02:12There's been no rise in those numbers.
02:15Punjab still, however, sees the most of these, most cases across North India.
02:20So what's being done really to kind of curb this?
02:27Well, there's a lot of political verbal spat going on between the BJP and the Ramani Party for pollution in
02:33Delhi.
02:33As the BJP says that if the Ramani Party has failed to control pollution in Punjab, stubble burning is happening
02:39in Punjab.
02:40And this is the reason that Delhi is being polluted.
02:42However, the Ramani Party says it's the Delhi which has failed to control its affairs.
02:46And they are putting the blame on the Ramani Party and the Punjab government and the Punjab farmers.
02:51Well, as far as the ground reality is concerned, now the figures stand as of 4th November 2347 stubble burning
02:58incidents have taken place in Punjab across all districts across this border state.
03:03What efforts they are taking, there are around a 40 lakh, 40 lakh rupees fine has been imposed, more than
03:09650, close to 650.
03:11FIIs have been listed on the erring farmers.
03:14Red entries are being also made into the revenue records.
03:18But yesterday also, when we travelled from Sangrur to Chandigarh, we spotted late night a lot of stubbles being burnt
03:25and open.
03:26So now what has happened is it has, the numbers have increased in the past two, three days.
03:31But if we look at the long story, as compared to last year, it is down.
03:36We met an environmental expert as well.
03:38In the long term, be it more than a decade, Punjab has seen more than 80, 90 percent decline in
03:44the stubble fire.
03:45But yes, no denying, it is happening.
03:47But the Punjab government is saying that we have done efforts, we have controlled the stubble fire.
03:53But it is the BJP which is trying to defame the farmers, which is trying to defame the Punjab government.
03:58And once today, Harpal Chima, cabinet minister of Punjab, was questioned.
04:02He even said that it was because the farmers got the farm laws cancelled.
04:06This is the reason that revenge is being taken from Punjab and its farmers.
04:09So it's all political.
04:10There is politics that plays out because an election is coming up in Punjab.
04:14But ultimately, you're playing with the lives of people in the national capital.
04:19And so both parties are, BJP, passing the buck.
04:22The question is, what really will happen next?
04:24Who will then be accountable for what happens to the citizens who are suffering and breathing in the smoke on
04:31a daily basis?
04:31Thanks, Asim, for joining us with those details.
