Kejriwal govt’s failures exposed: Delhi Congress

The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) has accused the former AAP government of negligence in tackling air pollution, citing the latest Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on prevention of air pollution from vehicles.

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav said the report, tabled in the Assembly by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, validates the party’s long-standing concerns over inaccuracies in air quality data, lack of real-time pollutant source tracking and a shortage of public transport buses.

Yadav criticised the report’s limited scope, which only covers air pollution control measures up to 2021. He demanded a fresh CAG audit to assess the failures of the Delhi government up to 2024.

“The Kejriwal government ignored key pollution sources such as vehicular emissions and dust from broken roads. It blamed stubble burning when the Congress was in power in Punjab, but conveniently remained silent when AAP took over the state,” he said.

The CAG audit reportedly focused on vehicular emissions, assessing whether the Delhi government had taken adequate steps to mitigate their impact on air quality. According to Yadav, the findings highlight severe gaps, including the government’s failure to study real-time pollution sources.

He criticised measures like the “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign and the Rs 23 crore smog tower at Connaught Place, calling them ineffective “gimmicks.” The smog tower, he added, was eventually shut down due to high maintenance costs.

The report also flagged a severe shortage of public transport, with only 6,750 buses available against required 9,000. A significant number of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses remained off-road, while improper route planning further hampered the efficiency of the public transport system.

Yadav also held the BJP-led Central Government accountable for failing to take effective steps to curb pollution in the national capital.

“Politics should not come in the way of public health. Both the state and Central governments failed to act decisively,” he said.

He further criticised the Kejriwal government for failing to meet its afforestation promises. “Despite promising to plant two crore trees, Delhi’s green cover has declined from 20.08 per cent under the Congress government (1998-2013) to just 5 per cent between 2013 and 2023,” he alleged.

The Congress leader also pointed to shortcomings in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019 to reduce PM10 levels by 40 per cent in 131 cities across 24 states by 2025-26. He said the failure to meet this target exposed the inefficacy of both Delhi and Central governments in addressing the air pollution crisis.