Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi Minister Sirsa accuses the AAP of burning waste to worsen pollution, saying, “Stop Playing Dirty Politics.”

Delhi Air Pollution: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) engaged in a political blame game on Wednesday over Delhi’s rising pollution levels. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the AAP of leaving the city after more than ten years in power. In response, the AAP vehemently refuted the accusation.

Sirsa spoke to Delhi citizens during a news conference on Tuesday, stressing that the city’s aim and desire were clear but that pollution could not be eliminated in only nine to ten months. He promised to keep working to lower the Air Quality Index (AQI) every day.

In his speech to Delhi residents on Tuesday, Sirsa acknowledged that the pollution issue would not be resolved in nine to ten months, but he also underlined that efforts were being made to enhance the quality of the air with a defined goal in mind.

The Opposition, which has demanded a parliamentary debate on the matter, is putting increased pressure on the Delhi administration at the time of this charge.

What’s going on? The AAP calls the BJP’s allegations of waste burning “lies.”

The opposition party vehemently refuted the accusation made by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa that the AAP had abandoned the city after controlling it for more than ten years.

In the face of rapidly declining air quality, the Environment Minister’s comments were directed at the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP as he announced a number of new pollution-reduction initiatives.

– Sirsa said, “AAP is deliberately burning waste at various locations to create pollution and they are unconcerned about public health.”

He gave the example of Trilokpuri, where a local MLA had told him that an AAP councillor had set fire to trash in his area and then recorded the pile on camera. Sirsa brought up a video that AAP councillor Vijay Kumar had uploaded, which showed a pile of trash burning nearby, adding to the already poisonous air.

He asked Arvind Kejriwal, the former chief minister of Delhi, to cease such actions. “With folded hands, I implore Arvind Kejriwal to cease engaging in such shady politics. Delhi is also where your kids reside. Sirsa pleaded, “Don’t do this to your own people.”

AAP asserted that Sirsa has a “habit of indulging in lies and fraud” in response to the accusations.

– The opposition said, “Since assuming charge as environment minister, Sirsa had manipulated AQI readings by shutting down monitoring systems and spraying water on AQI stations to create a false narrative.”

Speaking at a news conference, the minister unveiled a new set of policies to tackle the pollution problem, such as required Pollution Under Control (PUC) certifications, work-from-home policies for workplaces, and a prohibition on BS6 non-compliant cars entering the city.

“In the next week, we will continue to strive to enhance the quality of the air. In Delhi, 50% of jobs would be done from home starting tomorrow. I strongly advise anyone to get their PUC certifications. There won’t be any gasoline available without them. I urge tourists from outside Delhi to bring cars that meet BS6 pollution norms, since we have also prohibited trucks from bringing building supplies into Delhi,” Sirsa said.

The AAP called the rubbish burning charge “yet another lie” and advised the minister to either file a formal complaint or stop making what it called “fake claims” if he had any supporting evidence.

Additionally, he attacked those who had governed Delhi for ten or twelve years, accusing them of “gifting the city the disease of pollution” and now demonstrating against the same problem they had brought about. He chastised those leaders for abandoning the city in the midst of filth and pollution while now claiming to be its rescuers.

– The minister added, “The current government is addressing the crisis on a daily basis, working hotspot by hotspot, landfill by landfill and industry by industry, and claimed it was correcting the damage done over the past 10 to 15 years.”

He said that the current administration had identified 62 hotspots for traffic congestion and launched targeted interventions, while previous administrations had only identified 13 hotspots for pollution.

The previous administration was also criticized by Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra, who said that the politics being practiced there was inappropriate for the nation’s capital. He said that ministers were seldom ever seen on the ground throughout its reign and that no significant action was taken to address pollution.

In reaction to these claims, Sirsa was charged by the AAP with “lying and fraud.” According to the party, “Since assuming charge as environment minister, Sirsa has manipulated AQI readings by shutting down monitoring systems and spraying water on AQI stations to create a false narrative.”

Additionally, the AAP rejected Sirsa’s accusation of rubbish burning as “another lie,” urging the minister to either cease making “fake claims” or make a formal complaint if he had any supporting documentation.

Saurabh Bharadwaj and other AAP leaders demonstrated against the deteriorating air quality at Janpath. Two people wearing masks and costumed as Santa Claus were seen rallying with protesters during the demonstration.

In the meanwhile, statistics from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that Wednesday morning’s air quality had somewhat improved. The total AQI was 328 at 8 a.m., which was better than Tuesday’s 354 at 4 p.m., but it was still in the “very poor” range.

– Although the air quality in these locations remained in the ‘poor’ category, other localities including Burari Crossing (AQI 298), IGI Airport Terminal 3 (AQI 263), IIT Delhi (AQI 300), and CRRI Mathura Road (AQI 297) also recorded improvements.

AQI 0-50 is classified as “good,” 51-100 as “satisfactory,” 101-200 as “moderate,” 201-300 as “poor,” 301-400 as “very poor,” and 401-500 as “severe” by the CPCB.

Several locations, including IGI Airport, ITO, Dhaula Kuan, AIIMS, and the Ghazipur National Highway 24, were still covered in a dense layer of haze. Bawana (376), ITO (360), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (324), and Narela (342) were among the places that continued to be classified as “poor.” Another region of concern was Wazirpur, which had an AQI of 359.