Chandigarh: Haryana health and sports minister Anil Vij on Thursday said the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government should provide grants to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue if it wanted to tackle pollution.
"If the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP regime wants to tackle the smog issue, it should provide grants to farmers of Haryana to stop them from burning crop residue. The foodgrains produced by farmers of Haryana are consumed by Delhi also," the senior minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government said in a tweet.
Vij's comments came a day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought a meeting with counterparts in Haryana and Punjab to discuss ways to tackle the alarming air pollution levels in Delhi.
Speaking to PTI, Vij later said, "Stubble burning is not a issue of any single state like Haryana. To find a solution to it, farmers need to be given equipment, which are costly. To be able to process stubble, they should given subsidy and what we are saying is that everyone should share the burden."
Farmers need to clear their fields and prepare for wheat sowing, he said.
"They need equipment for processing paddy stubble. Delhi government, which is also a stakeholder in solving this problem, should help. They have no dearth of funds," Vij added.
Notably, thick smog, mainly caused by stubble burning, has also enveloped parts of Punjab and neighbouring Haryana over the past few days.
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