NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has condemned the statements made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regarding the directions of the Supreme Court related to toll plazas. The civic agency stated, “During the period when the AAP was in power, no concrete or effective action was taken against pollution, and now, after being out of power, the party is playing politics on this serious issue, which is extremely reprehensible.”
Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh clarified: “The Supreme Court in its order had stated that the MCD is directed to consider, on a priority basis, as to why the nine toll plazas in question be not temporarily suspended till the air quality conditions improve in the NCR territory. The top court did not issue any direct order to close the toll plazas. At the same time, the MCD has duly submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court, providing details of all the steps being taken in this regard.”
Singh added that the civic agency is already working towards barrier-free toll collection through a Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system. “The process of issuing tenders for this is underway, in which Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and RFID technology will be used. With the implementation of this modern technology, there will be no queues of vehicles at toll plazas, which will reduce both traffic congestion and pollution.”
“The AAP’s sole agenda now is to spread confusion and indulge in political rhetoric. If the party were genuinely concerned about the citizens of Delhi and their health, it would have taken concrete and result-oriented action while in power, instead of now attempting to evade its responsibilities through misleading statements,” the mayor said. Talking about the initiatives by the corporation against pollution, the mayor said, “The improvement in air quality is a long-term and collective effort, in which the central government, the Delhi government, and the MCD are working together.”
‘No direct order to close toll plazas’
Clarifying its stance against AAP’s allegations, Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said: “The SC in its order had stated that the MCD is directed to consider, on a priority basis, as to why the nine toll plazas in question be not temporarily suspended till the air quality conditions improve in the NCR. The SC did not issue any direct order to close the toll plazas.”