The CM on Monday alleged that the Centre and state governments were not "ready to do anything" despite the "all-out efforts" by the Aam Aadmi Party government.
As the city's air quality deteriorates unabated, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has blamed the Centre, and the governments of Haryana and Punjab for the severe air pollution crisis it has been gripped with. The CM on Monday alleged that the Centre and state governments were not "ready to do anything" despite the "all-out efforts" by the Aam Aadmi Party government.
"The pollution was in control in Delhi throughout the year, but Delhi has been grappling with severe pollution condition during this time(winter) every year due to the Centre, BJP-led Haryana and Congress-led Punjab governments. Despite our all-out efforts, they are not ready to do anything. Farmers of these two states are also fed up with their governments," Kejriwal tweeted. Delhi's air quality continued to remain in the very poor category with an overall air quality index of 367- the highest for this month, on Monday.
This is not the first time that the AAP has trained guns on the Centre for pollution in Delhi. Delhi environment minister Imran Hussain has also blamed the central government in the past for not offering enough subsidies to agriculturists, to prevent farm fires and save Delhi from smog. Hussain had claimed that the Centre failed to provide the Rs 1,550 crore it had promised to farmers of Punjab and Haryana. "No machines were purchased and distributed to the farmers. Hence they have been left with no option but to resort to stubble burning," he had said.
Stubble-burning is the major reason for the increase in the pollution level in the National Capital Region in winters. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed farmers from Punjab, who do not burn stubble in fields.
Harsh Vardhan responds to CM
After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal blamed the Centre, and the governments in Haryana and Punjab for deteriorating air quality in the region, Union Environment and Forest Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday hit back saying his dispensation failed to undertake basic measures to curb pollution.
“This is your responsibility. We have been tracking farm fires with the help of satellites and if compared to previous years, it has been consistently going down. It is wrong to blame Haryana, Punjab and the central government. Your work is being done by the central government,”
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