During a press conference on Saturday, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, who is running for election in the New Delhi constituency in the upcoming February 5 Assembly polls, criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for its inability to tackle air and water pollution in the city over its ten-year tenure.
Dikshit pointed out that the AAP’s lack of investment in public transportation has resulted in increased reliance on private vehicles, thereby exacerbating pollution levels. He noted that the number of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses has significantly decreased from 5,500 in 2013 to just 3,000 currently. Moreover, he mentioned that the expected daily ridership of 60-65 lakh has plummeted to 41 lakh, leading to more commuters opting for private transport, which further contributes to pollution.
The Congress leader also criticized the AAP for attributing Delhi’s air quality challenges to stubble burning in adjacent states. He argued that while stubble burning has indeed been an issue for many years, the main factors behind Delhi’s pollution are the surge in vehicle numbers, a deficient public transport infrastructure, and a reduction in green spaces. He highlighted the efforts made by the previous Congress-led government under Sheila Dikshit from 1998 to 2013, which aimed to expand the Delhi Metro, enhance green cover, and promote the use of CNG for vehicles.
Additionally, Dikshit took aim at the AAP’s unfulfilled commitments regarding the Yamuna River. He recalled Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s promise to clean the river sufficiently to allow for bathing by 2025, while pointing out that it still remains one of the most polluted rivers in the world, with untreated waste entering it.
In response to Kejriwal’s claims about increasing sewage treatment capacity by 50%, Dikshit provided statistics that belied this assertion, stating that the sewage treatment capacity was raised from 360 MGD in 1998-99 to 613 MGD by 2013 under Congress, and only reached 632 MGD by 2023.
Further encouraging voters to see through the “incompetence and dishonesty” of the AAP government, Dikshit declared that only Congress could effectively address the serious air and water pollution issues facing Delhi. He emphasized that it is the Delhi government’s responsibility to ensure clean air and water, stating, “Kejriwal provides only excuses.”
