Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand took stock of the implementation of measures to control air pollution at the Jonti Border area and reviewed the ground situation there.
The minister also took stock of the implementation of the pollution control measures in the Kanjhawala area.
“Pollution in Delhi has been on the rise after Diwali. We have to reduce the pollution level in Delhi and our government is continuously working for it. We have been asking the locals to cooperate,” Raaj Kumar Anand told ANI after the inspection in the Kanjhawala area.
The pollution control measures under stage four of the GRAP are currently underway in the national capital. It will continue until further orders, said Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday.
Air quality in parts of the national capital continued in the ‘Severe’ category on Tuesday morning as the city woke up once again to smog that limited visibility.
“BJP is trying to hide its mistakes. I have heard the statements of many BJP leaders recently and all of them are trying to hush up their statements in different ways. There was no festival yesterday, so why were the firecrackers bursting yesterday? Where did they came from? A BJP leader said that the AAP government failed to stop firecrackers. You have Delhi Police. SC had imposed the ban, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana Police is in your hands, then who has failed? This means you wanted crackers to be burst,” Gopal Rai said.
“Wind speed was expected to slow down after Diwali, and due to this smog situation has developed. After firecrackers burst yesterday as well, pollution levels have gone up today as compared to yesterday”, Gopal Rai added.
He further announced that the restrictions on private vehicles in Delhi would be continued.
“We had decided yesterday that the rules of Grap-4 will still be applicable. The campaign for water sprinkling will start at 12 noon today. The dust particles must be suppressed. The ban on vehicles will continue for now,” he added.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 9 am today in Delhi was at 361, which is considered ‘Severe’.
The effects of the recent rain in the national capital wore off on Monday when the city recorded an AQI of 358 at 4 pm (an average of the past 24 hours), which falls under the ‘Very Poor’ category after Diwali Sunday night.