NEW DELHI: A city still shrouded in smog, with the AQI staying above 345 and fluctuating between the “very poor” and “severe” categories, yet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta came before the media on Wednesday claiming Delhi’s post-Diwali pollution had decreased compared to previous years.
Just hours later, her administration announced the installation of 15 air purifiers in the Delhi Secretariat, spending Rs 5.5 lakh to protect officials working in high-footfall areas.
The decision, intended to safeguard employees from worsening air conditions, appeared to tell a different story: while the CM spoke of improvement, indoor protection measures implicitly acknowledged a city struggling with hazardous air.
Her assertion came a day after monitoring stations showed that the national capital’s air pollution hit a four-year high on Diwali, with particulate matter 2.5 peaking at 675. Gupta, however, insisted that “the pre- and post-Diwali gap this year is less compared to the previous year, even though firecrackers were allowed this time.” She added that her government was taking all possible steps with “greater alertness” to tackle pollution.
Delhi’s air on Wednesday morning remained suffocating. Thick smog hung low, making breathing difficult. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 34 of the 38 monitoring stations recorded air quality in the “red zone”, indicating “very poor” to “severe” pollution levels. Punjab Bagh recorded the worst readings, with AQI values of 427, highlighting the stark reality outside the Secretariat walls. Residents venturing outdoors continued to report discomfort, with vulnerable populations like children, street vendors, and construction workers bearing the brunt of the pollution.
Gupta also said she plans to meet a Punjab minister on Thursday to discuss crop residue burning, a major source of winter pollution in Delhi. “Our government is taking all necessary steps with greater alertness,” she reiterated, highlighting her administration’s efforts to manage external contributors to the city’s pollution.
Backing the CM’s claims, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa pointed out that AQI rose from 341 before Diwali to 356 afterward, a modest increase, and alleged that farmers in Punjab were being “forced and threatened” to burn paddy straw, suggesting a deliberate effort to worsen pollution levels in Delhi.
However, AAP MLA and Chief Whip Sanjeev Jha refuted these assertions, accusing the government of suppressing pollution data. “Every phone in Delhi shows an AQI between 1,000 and 1,500,” he said.
