‘Apathy’ vs ‘distraction’: LG, AAP trade charges on AQI

In a letter sent to the AAP national convenor, Saxena slammed Kejriwal for his “double speak” on the issue and accused him of “trying to unnecessarily bog down” the 10-month-old Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for “petty political gains”.

Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) V K Saxena on Tuesday blamed former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the “11 years of neglect and criminal inaction” under the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government for the pollution crisis in the national capital.

LG also blamed Kejriwal for stalling key infrastructure projects. (Hindustan Times)

In a letter sent to the AAP national convenor, Saxena slammed Kejriwal for his “double speak” on the issue and accused him of “trying to unnecessarily bog down” the 10-month-old Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for “petty political gains”.

“Roads and footpaths remained in total disrepair for years, leading to excessive dust pollution and high levels of PM10 and PM2.5. Yamuna and the drains of Delhi similarly suffered due to your apathy for 11 years,” said Saxena.

Saxena said he would have told Kejriwal all this in person had the two met after the Delhi assembly election results or had he not blocked his phone number.

In response, AAP called the letter “political distraction”, accusing the LG of losing sight of “basic constitutional responsibility”.

Bhardwaj further accused the LG of letting 1,648 trees in an eco-friendly zone near Chhatarpur be cut without any permission. “The LG should look within himself. There is no bigger enemy of pollution control and the environment than someone who illegally got 1,648 trees cut. That matter is still pending before the Supreme Court. Today or tomorrow, the LG will have to go to jail,” he added.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the letter “reviewed Arvind Kejriwal’s 10 years of corruption-ridden, anarchic political and administrative functioning and shows him a political mirror”.

He further said the L-G “not only ensured the continuation of minimum essential public services for Delhiites while protecting them from the then chaotic Kejriwal government, but also got several development projects completed in Delhi”.

Among other things, in his letter, the LG also blamed Kejriwal for stalling key infrastructure projects such as Delhi Metro Phase-IV and regional rapid transit system (RRTS) that could have improved public transport and helped reduced air pollution. He accused the former CM of stalling electric buses funded by the central government for Delhi, only because he wanted his photographs on them.

On water management, the LG said that, despite Delhi’s dependence on neighbouring states for water, nearly 58% of water was lost in transmission, while Wazirabad reservoir was nearly 96% silted. He accused the Kejriwal government of blaming Haryana and Uttar Pradesh instead of fixing internal problems.

The letter further criticised the AAP for opposing several development projects, such as the launch of hot air balloon rides in Delhi. Saxena highlighted works carried out by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), including the creation of green spaces like Asita, Baansera and Vaishnavi Park, revival of heritage sites such as Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Sanjay van, construction of housing for slum dwellers, sports complexes, and Delhi’s first Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) complex at Karkardooma. He also mentioned development projects in Narela-Bawana and the approval of the Rithala-Narela-Kundli Metro corridor.

Saxena alleged that the AAP government had refused to pay ₹500 crore for the land allotted by DDA to the Delhi government universities for setting up their new campuses and said that the new government paid the amount to the DDA in its very first budget.

“Kejriwal government did nothing to fulfil its promise of setting up 500 new schools. It played a big fraud by counting toilets as class rooms. Not a single new hospital was started by the AAP government in 10 years. It refused to grant ₹600 crore for increasing bed capacity in hospitals but on the other hand, spent ₹2,500 crore over advertisements in five years,” the LG alleged.

Saxena accused the Kejriwal government of undermining democratic processes by not holding regular cabinet meetings, avoiding accountability by not signing files, and failing to table CAG reports in the Assembly.

The LG said he was writing the letter to correct what he called a “false public perception” and to place the facts before the people of Delhi, whom he described as the “ultimate judges in our democracy”.