Raising concerns over national capital’s pollution which spikes during the winters, Delhi BJP president Sachdeva on Saturday said that based on the experience of black pollution in the past decade, people of the city hoped that Delhi government would wake up in 2024.
He expressed regret alleging that Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai is merely playing with letters to evade responsibility.
Sachdeva addressing a press conference here said that the monsoon is drawing to a close, and claimed that anxiety and concerns of Delhiites about winter pollution are increasing.
According to the BJP leader the year 2023, saw the worst pollution levels in Delhi’s history, and further said that winter pollution is a serious issue that requires long-term measures to combat the same.
He further mentioned that It is necessary to work on a policy plan with neighboring state governments to combat winter pollution, and added alleging that it is unfortunate to see Delhi Environment Minister, who wants to wash his hands off the responsibility of the winter pollution situation just sending letters with to Centre and presenting some rehearsed points through press conferences, Sachdeva claimed.
Sharpening his attack on the Kejriwal government, the Delhi BJP chief alleged that during the past decade, due to Kejriwal’s criminal negligence, winter pollution in the city has escalated to such an extent that millions suffer from respiratory issues every year, and many even die unexpectedly.
Sachdeva further said it is regrettable that the necessary willpower, long-term arrangements, and funds required to fight winter pollution are nowhere to be found in Delhi Environment Gopal Rai’s letters and press conference suggestions.
The Delhi BJP chief stated that Minister Gopal Rai has publicly disclosed two letters written to the Centre in the last fortnight, but he has not disclosed any letter that he might have written to the Punjab government regarding stubble burning, the biggest contributor to winter pollution in Delhi, Sachdeva claimed.
The saffron party’s state unit chief has demanded that the Delhi environment should not only write letters to the Centre, but also make public the letter or meeting in which he discussed stopping stubble burning with the Punjab government and its CM who belongs to his own party.
Sachdeva has said that people of the city want to know from Rai over the anti- pollution measure of artificial rain, which was mentioned in his letter to the centre, asking that in which cities the artificial rain has helped reduce pollution levels as high as Delhi.
Sachdeva said that many environmental experts have already deemed the suggestion of artificial rain unnecessary and ineffective.
He said that first step in fighting pollution in city is to streamline the working of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which is almost defunct today.
He added that almost half the positions in the DPCC are vacant, which raises questions about how much work the committee can actually complete.
He alleged that in the last ten years, the Delhi government has ruined the existing roads of the city, and all have become major contributors to dust pollution.
BJP spokesperson and environmental advocate Neoma Gupta has said that AAP’s intentions regarding pollution are questionable, as a study has shown that the lifespan of Delhi’s children has reduced by 12 years due air pollution related diseases.