AAP, BJP indulge in blame game over rising air pollution in Delhi

October 30, 2018 00:15

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government and the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation Monday indulged in a blame game over the rising air pollution in the national capital and accused each other of not taking effective steps to curb it.

Delhi's air quality continued to remain in the very poor category Monday as a thick haze engulfed the city, which was battling alarming levels of pollution.

An overall Air Quality Index of 367 was recorded which falls in the very poor category, according to data of pollution watchdog CPCB.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal blamed the Centre, and the governments of Haryana and Punjab Monday for the severe air pollution in Delhi, alleging they were not ready to do anything despite the efforts by the Aam Aadmi Party government.

"The pollution was in control in Delhi throughout the year, but this time (winters) every year, Delhi has to face severe pollution due to the governments at the Centre, BJP-led Haryana and Congress-led Punjab," he tweeted in Hindi.

"Despite our all-out efforts, they are not ready to do anything. Farmers of these two states are also fed up with their governments," he said.

Responding to Kejriwal's charges, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan alleged the AAP dispensation had "failed" to undertake basic measures to curb pollution.

He said Kejriwal "cannot absolve himself of responsibility" by targeting the Centre and the state governments.

Vardhan said the Centre had undertaken a series of measures like the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and the national capital region and setting up of air purifiers.

"This is your responsibility. We have been tracking farm fires with the help of satellites and compared to previous years, it has been consistently going down. It is wrong to blame Haryana, Punjab and the central governments. Your work is being done by the Centre," Vardhan claimed.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari asked the party-ruled municipal corporations to step in to tackle the rising air pollution in the city, alleging the AAP government had "failed" to take effective measures.

In a letter to mayors and commissioners of the South, North and the East Delhi Municipal Corporations, which are ruled by the BJP, Tiwari requested them to ban all construction activities in the national capital with immediate effect. -- PTI

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