BJP claims: Kejriwal government increased pollution by 1 lakh vehicles

Former AAP dispensation of Arvind Kejriwal willfully allowed more than 1.08
lakh vehicles entering from the neighborhood states and running on city roads
despite each emitting carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) beyond
horrible permissible limits .
Delhi Environment Minister Sirsa charges AAP of corruption related with
tenders in purchasing CNG buses that ferried public on board .
AAP has, however, responded to Delhi Minister’s charges yet .
Anjani Kumar

NEW DELHI : Troubles for the former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who
still stays as the party convener seem to die hard as already in the midst of a
wave of charges , Kejriwal has been slapped by yet an another accusation
when Delhi Environment Minister in the BJP dispensation Manjinder Sirsa
accused Arvind Kejriwal whose AAP , then – in power and before the BJP
winning the February election – of willfully allowing more than 1.08 lakh
vehicles entering from the neighborhood states and even permitted running on
city roads despite each emitting carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons
(HC) beyond horrible permissible limits .
Delhi Environment Minister Sirsa also charges AAP of corruption related with
tenders in purchasing CNG buses that ferried public on board
Delhi Government Minister in the new BJP dispensation Manjinder Singh
Sirsa has also accused Kejriwal and his AAP of corruption related to tenders
for purchase of public (CNG) buses and the installation of ‘anti-smog towers’,

claiming a sum greater than Rs 87 lakh had been “wasted”. He also claimed
Rs. 22 crore had been spent on a ‘missing’ smog tower.
These, and other lapses in pollution control mechanisms, led to the annual
deterioration of over–all air quality in Delhi, Sirsa said while speaking after a
Comptroller & Auditor-General report – that audited the AAP’s battle against
air pollution – was tabled by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in the Delhi Assembly
very recently . However the AAP has not yet responded to these charges.
Sirsa quotes CAG report: Former AAP governance of Delhi ignored many
things of public transportation willfully
The CAG report has highlighted failures of the AAP government in controlling
vehicular emission, such as not keeping data about the type and number of
vehicles plying on Delhi roads and assessment of emission loads. It also
flagged a shortage of buses and other options that would allow commuters to
overcome last-mile connectivity issues and use public transport.
Sirsa later told reporters the Delhi government at the time had been told of the
need for 11,000 buses but, instead, fleet size was reduced by more than 20
per cent.
Pollution under Control certificates issued by the then AAP governance flawed
as CAG picks holes in the issuance of Pollution Control Certificates
The CAG report also red-flagged irregularities in the issue of PUC (pollution
under control) certificates for vehicles, unreliable air quality monitors, and poor
enforcement of the law.
On the PUC issue, the report said in many cases, multiple vehicles were
issued certificates from the same testing centre at the same time, sometimes
within a minute of each other.
This should not be possible since each pollution test can take several
minutes.
It was also pointed out that between 2015 and 2020, nearly 4,000 diesel
vehicles were found to have exceeded emission norms but were still certified
as ‘compliant’, allowing them to be used.
Delhi government at the time, the CAG report further said, also lacked data
about the number, type, and emission loads of vehicles on city roads

The Delhi government at the time, the CAG report further said, also lacked
data about the number, type, and emission loads of vehicles on city roads,
which meant it could not come up with source-specific plans to tackle what is
an annual and dangerous air quality crisis .
Vehicular emissions are “major contributors” to the air pollution crisis, the
CAG report said, noting also the lack of data about benzene levels, or means
to reduce these, at fuel stations.
CAG Report points towards other concerns and lapses committed by Delhi
Pollution Control Committee under the former AAP governance of Delhi .
The report also pointed to a number of other concerns, including the failure of
the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to record data for as many as 16 hours
a day, including of lead in the air and real-time information about sources of
pollutants, leading to skewed final analysis.
Pressing need for Delhi government to take comprehensive measures in
addressing deteriorating air quality, CAG report says further .
There is “a pressing need” for the Delhi government to now
take “comprehensive steps to address gaps in air quality monitoring and
vehicular emission control measures”, the CAG said further .
According to CAG audit one of 14 such reports related with the lapses of the
former AAP government the new BJP government of Delhi is supposed to
table in the Delhi Assembly as part of an ‘audit’ of the previous administration
The CAG report is one of 14 the new BJP government has said will be tabled
in the Delhi Assembly as part of an ‘audit’ of the previous administration.
Eight, including a report on the liquor excise policy scam that roiled the AAP
before the February election, have been tabled.
The BJP returned to power in Delhi in style, winning 48 of the city’s 70
Assembly seats in the election. The AAP, which had won over 60 in each of
the past two polls, was left with 22 only .
Then Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP supremo leader along with his right-hand man,
Manish Sisodia, both of whom had been jailed in connection with the liquor
policy scam and due to the other charges lost their seats also due to various
charges of corruption .