Pollution politics: AAP slams BJP over installation of monitoring system

New Delhi: The Delhi government’s installation of fresh air quality monitoring systems is not free from controversy. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called it manipulation of pollution data. AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Before the elections, the BJP made a hue and cry regarding pollution. They spread rumous and a huge number of news items were published in newspapers. Now the BJP government has committed a huge fraud regarding pollution. They have installed six air quality monitoring systems in forests and green areas so that the pollution figures can be reduced.”

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He alleged that the BJP government was “fooling the public and playing with their health” by portraying an artificial improvement in Delhi’s air quality. Bharadwaj claimed that three of the new stations were being proposed inside lush-green campuses—Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in south Delhi, and Netaji Subhash University (West Campus) in west Delhi. He alleged that monitoring systems at locations reporting high pollution levels were being neglected or tampered with to ensure that overall pollution figures appear lower.

Pollution levels in Delhi are a major concern, especially during the winter months. The air quality of the national capital touches the ‘very poor’ or sometimes ‘hazardous’ category. Poor air quality was the contentious issue during the Delhi Assembly polls. The saffron party succeeded in manipulating the matter and got a majority. The present government has been working to curb Delhi’s pollution, but positive results have not appeared yet.