Don't link firecrackers to religion, let people breathe: Delhi Minister Gopal Rai to opposition
New Delhi, Nov 3: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday appealed to the opposition parties not to link the bursting of firecrackers to religion and jeopardise the wellbeing of children and the elderly for political ambitions.
He also appealed to the Centre to issue an advisory to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to mandatorily stop stubble burning during the Diwali period.
At a press conference, Rai alleged that some people of opposition parties are trying to sabotage the AAP government's fight against pollution by linking firecracker bursting to religion.
"Some people want to fulfil their political ambitions... I appeal to them with folded hands not to play with the lives of Delhi's children and the elderly. There are many other issues for politics. Please let people breathe. Diwali means diyas (lamps) not firecrackers," he said.
Rai said places of worship were shut across India when coronavirus started ravaging the country. "It was not a matter of religion but people's lives," he said.
"The Arvind Kejriwal government is working to take care of the religious sentiments of people and to save children and the elderly simultaneously," the minister added.
On October 27, the Delhi government had launched the 'Patakhe Nahi Diye Jalao' campaign to create awareness against the bursting of crackers. Action is being taken under relevant IPC provisions and the Explosives Act against anyone found burning crackers under the campaign.
On September 28, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee ordered a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital till January 1, 2022.
Rai said Delhi's air quality a day before Diwali was the best in five years.
"Favourable weather conditions and people's support to the government's anti-pollution campaign are reasons for best October air quality in five years," he said.
"I also urge the Centre to issue a mandatory advisory to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to stop burning stubble at least during the Diwali period so that people can breathe easy after the festival," the minister said.
The national capital recorded an average air quality index of 173 in October this year, the lowest in the month in five years, he said, adding that October saw an average AQI of 265 in 2020; 234 in 2019; 269 in 2018 and 284 in 2017.
He said more than 13,000 kg of illegal firecrackers have been seized and 33 people arrested under the anti-cracker campaign.
As part of the drive to check dust pollution, a penalty of Rs 1.23 lakh has been imposed on 406 construction sites found violating dust control norms.
Rai said Pusa bio-decomposer, a microbial solution that can convert stubble into manure in 15 to 20 days, has been sprayed over 1,700 acres of agricultural land in Delhi.
"The spraying of the bio-decomposer got delayed due to rains in October. The rest of the fields will be covered by November 20," he added.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
