"Politics can wait...": LG Vinai Kumar Saxena on Delhi pollution

NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday came down heavily on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and said that blaming other states for Delhi pollution is not a solution and the real solution lies in Delhi itself.

A thick layer of smog veiled the national capital Delhi on Thursday morning with air quality being recorded in the 'severe' category in several parts of the city.

"We can do little to stop crop residue smoke from other states, apart from pleading with them. Despite States, especially Punjab playing truant, we are, but petitioners for mercy. AQI yet hovers around 400, making the capital gasp," he added.

Noting that firecrackers certainly add to the menace, he said that the most affected in this "gas chamber" are those who commute on roads to earn their daily bread. "Crackers certainly add to the menace. The most affected in this gas chamber are those who commute on roads to earn their daily bread. The poor and the hapless living in slums and unauthorized colonies whose lungs are frying because they can't afford to sit at home and buy air purifiers," Saxena wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"The real solution to pollution in Delhi lies in Delhi itself," the LG wrote. He further said that we can mitigate the choking smog by reducing the dust that our unrepaired roads, unpaved pavements and construction sites cause.

"We can employ effective means to curb our vehicular emissions," he said. He further said that blaming others cannot and should not be an alibi for gross inaction over the years. "Since the deadly smog in 2016, this has become a recurrent issue subjected to nothing but platitude and rhetoric," LG said.

"Blaming others cannot and should not be an alibi for gross inaction over years. Since the deadly smog in 2016, this has become a recurrent issue subjected to nothing but platitude and rhetoric," he said. "Publicity around props like smog towers mean little and politics of propaganda that involve overhyped events like "Red Light On, Gaadi Off" and "Odd- Even" cannot hold the life of people of Delhi to ransom," he added.

Nothing concrete after the implementation of CNG in Delhi and construction of a maze of flyovers since then, has been attempted, he alleged. "Delhi needs action, not mere posturing. We can achieve sustainable goals within a fixed timeline. Let's do it. Politics can wait," he said. The pollution control measures under stage four of the GRAP are currently underway in the national capital.