Pollution body halted key study, says Delhi govt

This incident is the latest chapter in the long-standing tussle between the AAP government and LG VK Saxena over control of the bureaucracy

The tussle between the elected Delhi government and the lieutenant governor appeared to cast a shadow over the Capital’s battle against pollution, with state environment minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday alleging that the chairperson of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) last week halted a study started by the state government to identify sources of pollution in real-time.

Delhi ministers Atishi and Gopal Rai during a press conference at Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

His allegations came two days after Rai said that bureaucrats from 28 departments and agencies did not turn up for an emergency review meeting on the city’s air quality on Monday. There have, since then, been concerns that the logjam between Delhi’s two power centres will adversely impact the city’s anti-pollution action, especially as the air turns toxic with the onset of winter.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Rai said the Delhi government began a real-time source apportionment study in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur in November last year to identify local and external sources of the Capital’s pollution. The government has, since January 30 this year, released data on the R-AASMAN portal every day.

Kumar, said Rai, had been objecting to the study since February.

Rai also alleged that no minister was informed of this decision. “We only discovered this trail through what was noted in the file,” Rai said at the press conference, which was also attended by Delhi cabinet minister Atishi.

Neither Kumar, nor officials at the LG House, responded to requests seeking comment.

This incident is the latest chapter in the long-standing tussle between the elected Delhi government led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and LG VK Saxena over control of the bureaucracy. Pollution, however, knows no political boundaries, and discord between the city’s government and LG’s office threatens to only exacerbate a crisis that requires large-scale collaboration, not only at a local, but an inter-state level.

Delhi’s air quality spiralled into the “very poor” category for the first time this season on Sunday, giving the city its most toxic pollution levels since May and marking the start of its yearly poll scourge. And even as the state government has rolled out a gamut of measures to check pollution levels, these are likely to be toothless without the coordination of the administration.

Further, the absence of the real-time source apportionment study leaves Delhi with little clarity on the sources of pollution impacting its air. To be sure, at the same time, any such study should be accurate and its data reliable.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar), under the Union ministry of earth sciences, has not shared data on the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM 2.5 concentration since October 19.

Similarly, the Decision Support System (DSS), another model under the ministry of earth sciences, has not shared its source contribution estimates since Tuesday.

Rai said he has now written to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, recommending that Kumar be suspended and disciplinary action be taken against him.

“I have recommended suspension and disciplinary action against Ashwini Kumar, the DPCC chairman, for not implementing the decision of the council of ministers, and arbitrarily stopping the payment of ₹2 crore to IIT Kanpur, which has brought the source apportionment study to a halt. I have also requested the chief minister for the pending second instalment to IIT Kanpur to be paid immediately…,” said Rai.

Delhi cabinet minister Atishi said, “Since the passing of the GNCTD Act, government officials have been obstructing public welfare work. Ashwini Kumar and other officials seem to believe that they no longer need to follow cabinet or ministerial orders.”

The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023 was passed in Parliament in August, giving the Union government control of Delhi’s bureaucracy through the LG. It replaced an ordinance issued in May that effectively overrode a Supreme Court judgment.

Atishi said the study had already helped the government identify localised sources of air pollution.

HT contacted an IIT Kanpur official who worked in the lab that handled the project, but did not receive a response.

Rai said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in October 2021 between DPCC and IIT Kanpur at a project cost of ₹12.72 crore. “The first instalment of ₹10.72 crore was to be released at the beginning of the project, so that necessary equipment could be bought, with the remaining ₹2 crore to be paid in instalments later. This initial ₹10.72 crore was paid in October 2021 itself,” he said.

Rai said that barely two months after being appointed DPCC chairman, Kumar started raising objections in February 2023 through notes regarding the project.

“First, he said the cost of the project was too high and asked DPCC to ensure the study’s objectives were met, before the instalment money was released,” Rai said.

The minister claimed that Kumar raised additional objections, sought information from IIT Kanpur multiple times, and did not release funds despite being asked.

“On October 18, Kumar objected once again to the findings and said that IIT Kanpur could not justify their conclusions or provide a validation of their model, after which IIT Kanpur had stopped running the lab,” Rai said.

The Delhi BJP alleged that the Delhi government was using the DPCC chairman to deflect blame from themselves.

“The Delhi government had already made preparations to close the real-time source apportionment study by allocating a nominal budget for the year 2023-24. Around ₹12.26 crore has been allocated in the year 2021-22, ₹2.8 crore in 2022-23 and only ₹40 lakh in 2023-24. Delhi government should explain whether they will pay the salary of scientists in ₹40 lakh or arrange data through this study,” said Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana.