Expressing deep anguish and anger at the unprecedented situation triggered by the growing air pollution in Delhi, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh on Saturday wrote an emotional letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underlining the need for evolving a consensus on tackling the issue, rising above political affiliations and regional considerations.

In his letter, the CM said no Indian, and definitely no person in Punjab is oblivious to the misery of the national Capital.

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Pointing out that his own children and grandchildren living in Delhi, were currently sharing the plight of the lakhs of people in the national capital as a result of the toxic air enveloping the city, he said the prevailing situation “has exposed the hollowness of our claims of being a progressive and developed nation.”

“How can a country be called developed when its capital city has been reduced to a gas chamber, not by any natural disaster but a series of man-made ones?” he asked.

Making it clear that he had no intention of brushing his hands off Punjab’s responsibility, Amarinder said, however, that the entire country, including Delhi itself as well as the government at the Centre, had allowed “this state of affairs to emerge and sustain, with our various acts of commission and omission,”.

Admitting that stubble fires, supported by the winds blowing in the wrong direction, were contributing to the toxic levels of air pollution that prevail today in Delhi, the CM, at the same time, noted that data from several independent agencies had pointed out that large-scale industrial pollution, the traffic overload, the excessive construction activity taking place in Delhi were equally, if not more, to blame.

The CM said the crux of the problem was that “we have persistently and foolishly refused to rise above political considerations to launch a collective search for a permanent solution,”. The CM further wrote that Punjab had tried to enforce the law against stubble burning and was even penalising the farmers. But that, he added, “does not really deter the farmers from resorting to the burning of the paddy straw to keep their pathetic margins from falling further.”

Delhi and Haryana, too, were doing what they could, in their own ways, he pointed out but added that the role of the Centre had remained dubious in the whole affair. Amarinder further wrote that he had expected the Union government to find a holistic solution to this problem.

The CM recalled that he had personally suggested bonus amount of Rs 100 per quintal to facilitate stubble management by the farmers but failed to get a positive response to it.

But then, asked the CM, “what is that solution that can end this grave problem once and for all?”.  “Is it not your government’s task, Mr. Prime Minister, to search for that permanent solution, in consultation with all the other stakeholders, including Punjab, Delhi and Haryana?”, he added.