Smog tower ‘locked’ over delayed salaries

New Delhi, January 7

While the national capital remains covered in a thick blanket of haze, the smog tower located at Connaught Place has been locked up.

The smog tower, inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2021, has allegedly been locked by the personnel responsible for its operations.

The employees have alleged that their salaries were not paid for December 2023. Besides, they said that the Delhi Government had not provided them a ‘written job guarantee’. The smog tower was made operational in November last year after the Supreme Court directed the government to repair it and make it operational.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “Today all the powers have been given to a few officials and now they are working as per their wish. They had closed the smog tower, but made it operational when the court scolded them.”

“Now, I don’t know under what circumstances it has been closed. Officials are not following the orders of ministers because they know that no action will be taken against them,” the Minister said.

He alleged that this mismanagement was being deliberately caused by the Union Government.