Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Arvinder Singh Lovely Blames BJP & Delhi Govt For Air Pollution And High Prices

Arvinder Singh Lovely, the President of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, strongly criticized both the BJP Government at the Centre and the Delhi Government during a press conference at the DPCC office in Rajiv Bhawan. He held them responsible for the life-threatening air pollution and skyrocketing prices in Delhi. He demanded that a criminal case be filed against those responsible for the severe air pollution due to their gross negligence. He emphasized that Delhi was facing an explosive situation with children and the elderly suffering from serious respiratory illnesses while the two governments engaged in blame games instead of taking immediate action.

Mukesh Sharma, a senior leader and ex-MLA, called for the deployment of Delhi Fire Service and NDMC Fire Service vehicles to sprinkle water on the roads to control dust pollution, given the extremely dangerous toxic air in Delhi.

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Lovely presented alarming statistics, indicating that the incompetence and inaction of both governments had reduced the lifespan of 10-year-old children by at least 12 years, with one-third of Delhi's children suffering from severe asthma and respiratory illnesses. He noted the shame that over 14,000 people had died due to respiratory illnesses in the past year. Despite repeated reprimands from the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, air pollution had worsened. He refuted the argument that stubble burning was the main cause, stating that the major contributor to air pollution was vehicular traffic, responsible for 42% of the problem due to the collapse of the public transport system.

Lovely recalled the time when the US Ambassador expressed grave concern about Delhi's toxic air and how the US had awarded the "Clean City Award" during Congress's tenure. He criticized the decline in the DTC fleet and the Smog Tower's idle state as a waste of public funds. The Delhi Congress suspended all public activities until Deepawali and urged district presidents and workers to distribute masks, especially to the poor. Mukesh Sharma pointed out that for the first time in history, Karva Chauth was observed 28 minutes late due to the polluted air. Delhi had become the most polluted city globally, and essential commodities like onions had seen a 120% price increase.

Municipal Councillors criticized the government for only addressing pollution in October while spending exorbitant sums on publicity throughout the year. Delhi Congress Incharge of the MCD, Jitender Kumar Kochar, and Congress Councillors expressed their frustration at the government's inaction despite early warnings. An elderly Congress worker donned a mask to symbolize the dire condition faced by the capital's residents due to pollution.