Govt of Pakistan’s Punjab tweets to CM Amarinder to ban burning

PATIALA: The administration of Pakistan’s Punjab has weighed into the issue of crop burning, urging the chief minister of Indian Punjab to ban the practice that is behind a pollution crisis affecting large parts of both countries.

Much of north India and adjoining districts of Pakistan have been enveloped by a thick haze for more than a week.

The haze is toxic and medical experts have urged people to limit their exposure to outdoors, an unprecedented crisis that also saw fatal road accidents and flight and train delays due to lack of visibility.

“We have imposed a ban on stubble burning in Punjab (Pakistan) & hope @capt_amarinder takes similar measures. Some of our medium/long term action plan to combat SMOG are: https://punjab.gov.pk/ node/2648 Environmental hazards threaten our people and habitat. Let us act fast to counter it,” said the Wednesday evening tweet from @GovtofPunjab, the verified twitter account of the Pakistan state, tagging Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh.

The post quoted a tweet from Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who too has urged action from Singh’s state and neighbouring Haryana.

Amarinder Singh has maintained that his state cannot handle the 200 million ton of paddy straw generated by farmers, who burn the remnants before sowing new crops in November.

A day after the tweets, Kejriwal wrote to the chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana requesting a meeting to find the solution to the crop burning.

But Amarinder Singh rejected the meeting, saying that only the Union government can find a solution by giving financial help to farmers to handle the residue.