Delhi BJP asks AAP govt to explain how it spent clean air funds given by Centre

BJP MPs criticize Delhi government for not utilizing over 70% of funds for pollution control, turning capital into one of the most polluted cities.

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Bansuri Swaraj on Saturday asked the Delhi government to explain why it has not spent more than 70% of the funds it was given under the National Clean Air Programme, and criticised it for turning the Capital into one of the world’s most polluted cities.

New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bansuri Swaraj addresses the press conference with party MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on the National Clean Air Programme, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI Photo/Ritik Jain) (Ritik Jain)

In a press conference at the Delhi BJP office, the BJP MPs said the failure to use the special fund received from the central government for pollution control is a testament to the criminal negligence of the Arvind Kejriwal government towards the issue of pollution. “The Arvind Kejriwal government must present a white paper before the public detailing the work done on pollution control in the past nine-and-a-half years,” said Bidhuri.

The BJP MPs claims are based on a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment on Friday which said that more than 70% of ₹42.69 crore Delhi received from the Centre between 2019-20 and 2023-24 as part of the national clean air programme remain unused.

“Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world. When the Aam Aadmi Party government was not in Punjab, Kejriwal said that the main reason for pollution in Delhi was the burning of stubble in Punjab, but since his government came to power in Punjab, he no longer mentions Punjab. The smog tower in Delhi is not operational, and even its maintenance has not been done. The Kejriwal government should explain how the fund provided by the central government for pollution control in Delhi was spent, as 70% of it remains unspent,” said Bidhuri.

In response, the Delhi government said it has been consistently working to address pollution both through short and long term measures. A spokesperson for the Delhi government said that the government has formulated the Winter Action Plan and the Summer Action Plan to mitigate pollution during specific seasons, and in terms of long-term measures, it has converted CNG-run industries to PNG, and inducted electric buses into the DTC fleet, making Delhi the state with the most electric buses in the country and the third-largest city globally in this regard.