NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday stated that her authorities was making a decided push towards air and water air pollution, an issue that she described as a “legacy subject” that endured for many years attributable to inaction by earlier administrations.
She additionally listed a sequence of steps that her authorities was taking and asserted that there had been a visual enchancment within the nationwide capital.
“Delhi has legacy issues associated to air pollution. There have been issues of transport, open burning, mud, all of which had been ignored by governments earlier. Now we have no jadu ki chadi (magic wand) with us, however try our greatest to cope with these points,” Gupta stated on the The Press Reporter Management Summit.
The chief minister highlighted initiatives taken by her authorities together with steps to scale back localised air pollution from family burning throughout winters.
“Now we have deliberate the distribution of 10,000 electrical heaters. Now we have launched the Ujjwala Yojana for LPG gasoline cylinders in elements of Delhi. These are the little bits of burning that add to air pollution, and we’re making certain individuals have alternate options,” she stated.
Gupta additionally urged residents to undertake behavioural modifications, reminiscent of carpooling. “Imposing a lockdown just isn’t the answer,” she stated, arguing that the federal government couldn’t convey the town to a standstill to scale back air pollution.
Referring to the federal government’s stance on festive air pollution, the chief minister stated her administration has allowed sure freedoms to be able to keep public sentiment.
“After we got here to energy, we allowed the bursting of crackers for Diwali. There isn’t a restriction on end-of-life autos which might be 10–15 years previous… and but the air pollution ranges haven’t gone very excessive in comparison with earlier years. Now we have performed one thing proper,” she stated.
Responding to allegations that the federal government was spraying water on AQI screens to control readings, Gupta dismissed the declare as misinformation. “It’s a false impression. Water will solely be sprinkled at air pollution hotspots to manage mud,” she stated.
The chief minister additionally detailed efforts to wash the Yamuna river. “We’re organising decentralised sewage remedy vegetation at a number of areas in order that solely handled water reaches the Yamuna,” she stated, including that her authorities was working to deal with air pollution from each sewage networks and unauthorised drains.
Gupta denied criticism of the state authorities’s preparations for Chhath Puja at Vasudev Ghat, the place an enclosure with cleaner water had been arrange for devotees. “The narrative was fabricated by the Opposition,” she stated, underscoring that it was constructed preserving in thoughts the security of individuals and that it additionally had Yamuna water.
Gupta asserted that her administration was working across the clock to ship options. “I’ve been working 24 hours prior to now 10 months for the welfare of individuals of Delhi, so that every one legacy issues are resolved,” she stated.
