Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Tuesday, December 23, has written to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over severe pollution in the national capital, accusing his government of neglecting the national capital in their 11 years of regime. In his letter, the Delhi L-G accused the AAP of consistently neglecting efforts to control dust generation and curb pollution in the city.
Holding him responsible for the air pollution in Delhi in his 15-page letter, the L-G accused the AAP supremo of “unnecessarily bogging down” the 10-month BJP government. He said the BJP government was in fact “trying to do everything possible to undo your wrongs, for petty political gains.”
“The inaction of AAP govt in the last 11 years is primarily responsible for such severe condition of air pollution in the national capital. All that Kejriwal government did was blaming the then Punjab government and the Government of India. It never cared to take any step to curb dust generation that is majorly responsible for air pollution in Delhi,” the L-G wrote.
The L-G also said that Arvind Kejriwal and his party have refused to learn from the crushing defeat the party suffered during the Delhi elections. Also Read | How Aravallis influence air pollution in Delhi-NCR—why protection of India's oldest mountain matters | Explained
He said AAP continues to “indulge in petty politics and spreading lies over the critical issues concerning the people of Delhi.”
Saxena also alleged the AAP government discontinued the practice of holding weekly cabinet meetings. Key policy and administrative decisions were taken through circulation, leaving no room for any discussion or deliberation, he said, adding that this reflected the government's insensitivity towards the people of Delhi.
Delhi pollution today
Delhi woke up to choking air on Tuesday morning as thick fog and haze engulfed the city, with AQI levels crossing 400 (severe category) at 27 monitoring stations and several others slipping into the 'severe plus' range, exposing residents to extremely hazardous pollution.
At 9 am today, the city recorded an AQI of 415, slipping from the 'very poor' category a day earlier, as pollution levels continued their upward climb, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Out of 40 monitoring stations, 27 recorded severe air quality with AQI readings above 400, a level known to have serious health impacts.
According to the CPCB standards, an AQI from 0-“50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-“200 'moderate', 201-“300 ‘poor’, 301-“400 ‘very poor’, and 401-“500 ‘severe’.
