Stubble: Kejri for monthly meets with Punjab, Haryana

New Delhi, October 19

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday requested Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to hold monthly meetings with the CMs of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and UP to curb air pollution in the National Capital.

He said there was a lack of political will at the level of the states to address the problem of stubble burning.

In a virtual press briefing, he said the affected states had been unable to find a solution to stop stubble burning and prevent air pollution. The crop residue could be biodegraded or converted into biogas, coal and even cardboard.

Kejriwal said he agreed with Javadekar that air pollution was not limited to one state.

He, however, added that Javadekar had said it would take at least four years to control pollution, but he believed if all states and political parties "work honestly by keeping aside their political differences then we can check air pollution in much less than four years".

He said: “Although scientists and engineers have come out with solutions to reduce the incidents of stubble burning, there is no political will to adopt these methods.” — PTI