Stubble Burning in Haryana Down by 34%, Says Dushyant Chautala; Outdoor Activities Restricted in All Schools Across State

"Also, it's not a thing that can be stopped by sealing borders. For clogging in Delhi, fire in dump yards in Delhi is a big cause," Chautala said.

Chandigarh: Speaking on the claims by Delhi government that rise in pollution in the national capital is due to stubble burning in neighbouring states, Jannayak Janata Party President Dushyant Chautala on Saturday asserted had that been the case, then Haryana would have been at a greater risk.

“Also, it’s not a thing that can be stopped by sealing borders. For clogging in Delhi, fire in dump yards in Delhi is a big cause,” he added.

The Haryana Deputy Chief Minister also said that, as per data, the stubble burning in Haryana has gone down by 34 per cent, adding that continuous efforts are being made to decrease it further.

Chautala also said that the State Education Department has been informed to restrict all kinds of activities in open for a few days, in all government as well as private schools across the state, due to rise in pollution levels in Haryana.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government had released the latest NASA images which showed a drastic increase in the stubble burning post-Diwali. With ‘folded hands’, Chief Minister Kejriwal urged Punjab and Haryana to take concrete steps against stubble burning to prevent the national capital from turning into a “gas chamber”.

“I appeal to the Punjab and Haryana governments with folded hands on behalf of the residents of Delhi to take strong steps and prevent Delhi from becoming a gas chamber. At our level, we are making all possible efforts and will continue to do so,” he tweeted in Hindi a couple of days ago.

Meanwhile, the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) on Saturday directed the neighbouring states of Delhi to stop burning of waste, toxic emissions from industries and dust from construction sites.