Winter pollution: Sachdeva terms ban on firecrackers eyewash step

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva (photo:SNS)


Commenting on the ban on firecrackers, BJP’s state unit president Virendra Sachdeva said on Monday that the Kejriwal Government is taking the same old eyewash steps it has been taking from time to time to contain pollution in the city.

Emphasising that the fight against pollution during winter requires more stringent measures, Sachdeva said it was surprising to see the AAP government taking such steps when the main source of increased pollution levels is crop residue burning, construction activities, and road dust.

He said that instead of clamping a total ban on crackers, the Delhi government should have shown sensitivity to encourage use of Green Crackers.

The Delhi BJP chief pointed out that while the government has not yet clarified whether it has taken up the stubble burning issue with the Punjab government or not, it has banned the crackers in haste.

According to Sachdeva, past experience shows that despite the ban, crackers are widely used as the ban is not accepted by the people of the city.

Earlier in the month, the Delhi BJP chief said the Delhi environment minister is making statements every other day but did not reveal whether he had discussions with the neighbouring states on curbing winter pollution in the national capital.

He had said any effort by the Delhi government to control winter pollution would only be meaningful if they worked in coordination with the Punjab government to prevent stubble burning.

He had also asked the environment minister to come up with an action plan to control dust pollution on the roads, as this is also a major contributor to the spike in air pollution during the cold weather conditions.