"BJP leaders visiting Kalindi Kunj for photoshoots": Atishi slams BJP's "cheap politics" behind pollution in Delhi

New Delhi [India], October 20 : Comparing the statistics of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday blamed the Bhartiya Janarta party and its "cheap politics" for the increasing pollution in the national capital.

While highlighting stubble-burning incidents, which are a major contributor to the pollution level in northern India, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi claimed that farm fires in Punjab have been halved compared to last year, while it increased by 70% in Uttar Pradesh and 23% in Haryana.
"Not just air pollution, but pollution in Yamuna river is also increasing over the last few days... The main reason for the rise in Delhi's air and water pollution is BJP's cheap politics," Delhi CM Atishi said while addressing a Press conference.
"The AAP government in Punjab has worked tirelessly for two years to reduce the incidents of stubble burning... Last year, stubble burning in Punjab was reduced to half... If we look at statistics from Haryana, farm fires have increased by 23%. Farm fires in UP have increased by 70%... BJP is doing cheap politics with the people of Delhi," Atishi said.

Atishi further mentioned that the buses coming from Uttar Pradesh which run on Diesel contribute majorly to the pollution level in the Anand Vihar area in Delhi.

"If we see the buses in Anand Vihar, which records the maximum AQI, Delhi's buses are all run on CNG or electricity. But if we see the buses coming from UP and Haryana, they run on Diesel. An important reason for the pollution seen in the Anand Vihar area is the thousands of diesel-run buses coming from UP," Atishi stated.
"Why can't Haryana and UP governments introduce CNG and electric buses in their fleet?... In NCR there are 3800 brick kilns which contribute a lot to the pollution levels in Delhi," she added.

Criticizing the BJP, Atishi said, "BJP leaders have been visiting Kalindi Kunj for photoshoots, but the real cause of the toxic foam in the Yamuna is industrial waste being dumped into the river by factories in Haryana. The UP government also contributes to the problem by releasing polluted water into the Yamuna."

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Environment Minister Gopal Rai today carried out an inspection at the Anand Vihar area, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has fallen to 454 at 8:30 am, stood in the "severe" category.

Highlighting the steps taken to control air pollution, Delhi Chief Minister said that anti-pollution measures are being strictly deployed and teams have been formed for dust control measures.

Speaking to reporters, Atishi said, "Anti-pollution measures are being strictly deployed in Delhi. We have formed 99 teams who are carrying out dust control measures across Delhi. We have started the process of deploying more than 325 smog guns. PWD and MCD have deployed all their resources to combat pollution in Delhi. Anand Vihar, being on the border of Delhi and UP, is one such hotspot where the AQI is the highest."

A layer of fog engulfed parts of the national capital this morning with AQI at Dwarka, sector-8, has fallen to 311 at 8:30 am, marked under the 'Very Poor' category.