Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Saturday hit out at Environment Minister Gopal Rai for his statement against BS-4 Diesel buses arriving in Delhi from other states, saying it proves that he is more interested in staying in the news than controlling pollution.
Sachdeva claimed it has been established beyond doubt that the two major causes of pollution in Delhi are toxic smoke from stubble burning in Punjab and the dust, debris from Delhi’s broken roads.
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The BJP leader asserted that if diesel buses entered Delhi, it is the state government’s negligence to blame. The environment minister must clarify what measures have been taken at Delhi’s borders to prevent the entry of such diesel vehicles.
Sachdeva said at least the Delhi government could have installed boards prohibiting the entry of diesel vehicles at border toll points.
He urged Chief Minister Atishi to instruct the environment minister to focus on substantive actions to control pollution instead of making such statements.
The Delhi BJP chief claimed that media reports and departmental data show that 30 per cent of Delhi’s rising pollution is caused by smoke from Punjab’s stubble burning, and said that saffron party’s state unit has consistently demanded that the AAP government put pressure on its party’s Punjab government to stop stubble burning, however Gopal Rai has ignored these appeals.
Sachdeva said both former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his successor Atishi promised to repair broken roads by Diwali, but fifteen days after the festival, most roads in Delhi are awaiting repairs.
According to the BJP leader, every morning, around 3 million vehicles ply on Delhi’s broken roads between 7 am and 10 am, pushing the city’s AQI level into the hazardous category above 400.
He claimed that dust from these damaged roads contributes to one-third of the city’s pollution.
Sachdeva also criticised Rai for failing to engage with the Punjab government on stopping stubble burning or his own government departments for repairing roads.
