Chandigarh, October 24: Delhi’s air is again thick with smog, and so is the political blame. But this year, the data tells a very different story — one that questions the capital’s familiar narrative of pointing fingers at Punjab.
Figures compiled between September 15 and October 21 show only 415 stubble burning incidents across Punjab this season, down from 1,510 in 2024, 1,764 in 2023, and 3,114 in 2022. The trend marks a sharp 75 percent decline in three years, signalling one of the most successful reductions in crop residue burning in the state’s history.
Officials credit the fall to continuous monitoring, the spread of crop management machines, and awareness among farmers. Yet, Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has continued to accuse Punjab’s farmers of causing the capital’s worsening pollution. “Delhi’s smog is directly linked to Punjab’s stubble,” Sirsa claimed this week — a statement that has drawn sharp responses from Punjab officials.
“What’s happening in Delhi’s air cannot be explained by Punjab’s stubble when we barely have any this season,” said a senior official from the state agriculture department. “If Punjab’s air quality index is five times better than Delhi’s, then where is this smog coming from?”
Environmental analysts point to internal sources — the dense traffic, industrial output, and unchecked construction dust — as Delhi’s primary pollutants. “The capital has to own its crisis,” said an expert at the Centre for Science and Environment, adding that while farm fires do contribute temporarily, their impact is “grossly overstated” compared with urban emissions.
The political storm has also spread within the BJP, as the party’s Punjab leadership remains silent while its Delhi counterparts continue to attack the state’s farmers. Observers say the discord puts leaders like Sunil Jakhar, Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Ashwini Sharma in a tight spot. “Do they stand by the data or by Delhi’s accusations?” a political commentator asked.
The contradiction goes beyond politics — it challenges how India reads its pollution problem. If the region that is supposedly causing Delhi’s haze now breathes cleaner air itself, then the causes must lie closer to the capital.
Farmers’ groups in Punjab say they deserve credit for making visible progress. “We have done our part,” said Balbir Singh, a farmer from Ludhiana. “We used machines, managed residues, and reduced fires. But Delhi’s air is still choking. That says something.”
With winter still ahead and the smog season just beginning, experts warn that unless Delhi tackles its own emissions, blaming others will no longer clear the air — literally or politically.
