NEW DELHI: With the capital reeling under rising pollution levels, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday accused the BJP of not shutting down toll plazas.
AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed out that despite a Supreme Court ban on toll tax collection within Delhi, vehicles are still being stopped at toll plazas, leading to congestion, avoidable emissions and a steady deterioration of air quality across the city.
Taking to social media platform X, he wrote: “Hopeless Situation. Against the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court, vehicles are being stopped for collecting toll tax at all tolls. These toll barriers around Delhi have become Hotspots for spreading pollution in Delhi. Why can’t the BJP ruled MCD & Delhi Govt do their basic works instead of nautanki?”
Sharing a video from the Ghazipur toll plaza, Bharadwaj highlighted the on-ground reality through an AAP member who visited the site. In the video, the AAP member said that Delhi was in a dire state, with the city battling severe pollution on one hand while the BJP-run MCD remained focused on collecting money at toll points on the other.
He pointed out that the top court had issued clear orders that tolls should be made free until the city’s pollution situation improves so that traffic congestion is avoided. “Despite these clear directions, the BJP’s MCD has still not made these tolls free,” the AAP member said.
Last week, Leader of Oppostion in MCD Ankush Narang had said, “I gave a suggestion to the BJP government in corporation that traffic jams stretching from half a kilometre to one kilometre are forming at toll plazas on the Rajokri, Tikri, Ghazipur, and Kalindi Kunj borders.
Because of these jams, vehicular pollution increases sharply. To provide relief to the public, these toll tax gates should be opened so that traffic congestion does not build up, but the BJP has no concrete plan to protect Delhi’s residents from pollution.”
Delhi choked under a thick blanket of smog on Monday morning, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling in the ‘severe’ category at 401. The air quality was ‘severe’ at 24 stations, ‘very poor’ at 13 and poor at one station. Wazirpur recorded the worst AQI of 462, highest amongst all stations.