UP minister's solution to pollution: Yajna for gods

An Uttar Pradesh minister, while defending stubble burning, has come out with a bizarre solution to tackle the dangerous levels of pollution in the NCR region.

Sunil Bharala, who was chairman of the UP Labour Welfare Council and enjoyed the status of a minister of state, wants the governments to organise 'yajna' (a Hindu ritual by fire) to please Lord Indra (the god of rains) to get rid of pollution.

Bharala said that the practice of stubble burning had existed in ancient India also. ''Indian farmers have been indulging in this practice for centuries....it is not harmful to the environment....there is very little smoke by stubble burning,'' the minister said.

He also said that criticising stubble burning was, in fact, an ''attack'' on the farmers.

''Instead of targetting the farmers, the governments should hold yajnas, which was a regular feature in our culture, to please Lord Indra...it will result in rains and the problem of pollution will be solved,'' Bharala said.

Bharala had earlier called film actress Sonakshi Sinha a 'dhan pashu' (someone, who runs after money) after the latter failed to answer, who had brought the 'sanjivani booti' (a mythical herb that, according to the Ramayana, had cured Lord Rama's brother Luxman after he was critically wounded) to treat Luxman, at the reality show KBC.

The minister's ludicrous solution comes at a time when almost the entire NCR region, as well as the state capital of Lucknow, had been suffering from dangerous levels of pollution. Schools had been closed for two days in Greater Noida, Noida and Ghaziabad cities owing to rising pollution levels.

The state capital of Lucknow's AQI (Air Quality Index) rose to 422 on Saturday, which was even worse than Delhi. It was 399 on Friday.