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The Delhi authorities connected Tuesday (October 21, 2025) blamed the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation successful Punjab for the toxic haze implicit the nationalist capital, alleging that the neighbouring authorities forced farmers to pain a grounds magnitude of paddy stubble connected Deepavali night.
Delhi recovered itself enveloped successful a heavy grey haze, reduced visibility, and its aerial prime into the 'red zone' connected Tuesday (October 21), the greeting aft Deepavali which saw cracker-bursting mode beyond the two-hour bounds acceptable by the Supreme Court.
Addressing a property conference, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the AAP of "playing religion politics."
The Minister claimed that portion AAP leaders "condemned the Delhi CM, the BJP and Sanatan Dharm followers implicit festival celebrations", the existent crushed down the worsening aerial prime was large-scale stubble burning successful Punjab.
Mr. Sirsa said that each religion has the close to observe its festival, indicating bursting of crackers is an indispensable mode of celebrating Deepavali.
He stressed that contempt the lifting of the prohibition connected greenish firecrackers this year, Delhi's aerial prime scale (AQI) roseate lone marginally, from 345 earlier Deepavali to 356 the adjacent morning, an summation of "just 11 points." Last year, it accrued by 32 units and successful 2023 by 83 units, helium pointed out.
"This small summation of conscionable 11 points was observed this twelvemonth adjacent though it was reported that the highest fig of stubble-burning incidents occurred past night," helium said, showing videos purportedly of burning of harvest residue successful Punjab.
"We admit with pridefulness that our authorities has fixed radical the accidental to observe Deepavali successful the accepted way," Mr. Sirsa said.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood said that cracker-bursting was not the sole crushed down contamination successful the nationalist superior and that the "incidents" happening successful neighbouring besides impacted the city's aerial quality.
Mr. Sirsa, meanwhile, accused the AAP of bringing religion into politics.
"Will the AAP situation the sacrifice of goats connected Eid by our Muslim community? I impulse (AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal not to play spiritual politics. You tin combat with us, but bash not resistance religion into it," the BJP person said.
"We person respected the sentiments of the masses and brought existent equality among religions. Every religion has the close to observe its festival," helium said.
Mr. Sirsa claimed that the authorities ensured that lone green, barium-free firecrackers were sold successful the metropolis connected the ban-free 3 days.
"We requested the Supreme Court to let the bursting of greenish crackers and besides approached the SC and CAQM to licence the plying of 10- and 15-year-old vehicles," helium added.
He said 15,000 industries successful redevelopment areas were brought nether the consent absorption framework, granting support to astir 6,000 of them to operate.
He added that each constructions beyond 500 quadrate metres person been registered connected the C&D portal and are being monitored for particulate control.
The Minister said the authorities has distributed astir 1,500 heaters to RWAs to curb biomass burning, launched an innovation challenge, mandated automatic sprinkler systems connected high-rise commercialized buildings, and ensured the regular processing of 8,000 tonnes of waste.
Last week, the Supreme Court temporarily allowed the merchantability and usage of greenish firecrackers, restricting it to 2 hours — from 6 americium to 7 americium and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. — connected October 19 and 20.
