‘Smart cities’ turned into ‘smart dump yards’ by AAP: Punjab BJP chief

Raising concerns over the growing pollution caused by garbage burning in Punjab, state BJP working president Ashwani Sharma launched an offensive on the AAP government, saying that instead of cleaning the state in two years, the state government had turned Punjab into a hub of toxic smoke.

“Cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Phagwara, Nawanshahr, Mohali, Kharar and Tarn Taran are witnessing poor air quality. However, the government remains in a slumber. People are gasping for breath while the environment ministry and the municipal corporation (MC) remain indifferent,” he said. Sharma said the garbage collection system in cities had collapsed.

“Owing to mismanagement and a lack of planning by municipal bodies, garbage is burnt in open fields. This is releasing carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases into the air harming the health of children, old and the infirm,” he added.

Sharma added that the cities which the AAP government had promised to turn into ‘smart cities’ have today become “smart dump yards’ filled with “Smart Smoke.”

He demanded that the government must hold all municipal corporations and panchayats accountable for waste management and form a “Waste Management Task Force” in every district. He said this wave of pollution is affecting people’s lives, and the government must be held accountable for it.