Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai Holds BJP’s Ideology Responsible For Rising Air Pollution

The ideology of the BJP favours rising air pollution levels as the party voiced support to bursting of firecrackers but did not help the Punjab government provide a cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleged on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena would not have stopped the implementation of the "Red Light on Gaadi off" campaign to reduce vehicular emissions in Delhi without instructions from the saffron party, Rai told reporters after inspecting a construction site here.

The LG had put the campaign on hold and returned the file on October 29, questioning the effectiveness of such measures.

"The mindset and the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) favour an increase in the air pollution levels. Punjab would have seen a large-scale reduction in stubble burning had the Centre supported the state government's initiative to provide a cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue," Rai said.

"We also saw that those in the BJP were busy supporting the bursting of firecrackers in Delhi (on Diwali). They too live in Delhi. All of us should work together to fight air pollution. The Delhi government is doing everything it can and we need support. I request those associated with the BJP to step back from campaigns that increase air pollution," he added.

The BJP should stop considering air pollution as a problem of a particular political party or of particular states, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said.

In July, the governments of Delhi and Punjab had jointly sent a proposal to the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management to help them give Rs 2,500 per acre as a cash incentive to farmers in Punjab for not burning stubble.

Farmers say a cash incentive can help them cover the cost of the fuel used in operating the machinery for the in-situ management of paddy straw.

The AAP government had, in September, announced a complete ban on the sale, storage and use of firecrackers in Delhi. Rai recently said "less bursting of firecrackers" had resulted in a 30-per cent drop in the air pollution levels in the capital on Diwali night.