Kejriwal’s corruption behind SC flak for Delhi govt on toxic air: Congress

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav on Saturday said that the repeated criticism of the AAP government by the Supreme Court for its laxity in combating air pollution was a consequence of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s corrupt governance over the past 10 years.

Yadav said that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had also expressed serious concern over the deterioration in the city’s air quality which reduces the life span of residents by 10-12 years, with children and the aged bearing the brunt of pollution. He said that the Supreme Court’s observation that air pollution in Delhi has soared to choking levels was an adverse comment on the AAP and the BJP governments.

Yadav said that experts had warned that pollution from vehicular traffic and the dust kicked up within the city were the prime reasons for the city’s toxic air. He said the Delhi Congress had been highlighting the issues for the past many years, but the Kejriwal government remained unmoved. The Delhi Congress chief said that this situation could have been averted had the Kejriwal government kept a close watch on air deterioration round-the-year and not just when dust and smog started choking the people.

Yadav said that the National Green Tribune slapping a Rs 25-crore environmental compensation fine each on the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for failing to check pollution in drains and, subsequently, the Yamuna River was another blow to the Kejriwal government. He alleged that the Kejriwal government’s ‘revadi’ (freebie) culture only helped the AAP convenor make money through illegal methods, and did not solve serious civic issues in the Capital. He said that with the air and water pollution rising in the city, the AAP government was indulging in blame games to cover up its incompetence in addressing the Capital’s serious issues.