AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Delhi govt of creating a health emergency by manipulating AQI data to avoid GRAP restrictions. He alleged rampant corruption and failure to enforce construction bans, causing pollution to rise.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Delhi’s pollution crisis has become a public health emergency due to the manipulation of air quality data and the failure to enforce graded restrictions meant to curb toxic air. Bharadwaj accused the BJP-run Delhi Government of fabricating AQI readings and allowing both government and private construction to operate despite GRAP-3 bans. He said pollution levels of 500-700 were falsely recorded as 300-400 to avoid triggering mandatory restrictions.
AAP Alleges Widespread Fraud in Pollution Control
Addressing reporters on Friday, Bharadwaj said, “Chachi 420 Government’s fraud continues. False AQI figures are being fabricated. But Delhi’s reality is in front of everyone.” He said the Supreme Court had set up the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to automate the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), but the system had “collapsed under fraud and corruption.”
How the GRAP System Should Work
Explaining the original purpose of GRAP, he said, “A few years ago, the Supreme Court created a commission and, apart from the government, established an independent commission called the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM). It was created so that as pollution increased, a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) would automatically come into effect. For example, schools would be closed so that pollution from school buses is reduced and children have less exposure.”
He added that under GRAP, specific construction activities, private and government, must be stopped, dust must be controlled, and restrictions on vehicles, including odd-even, must be implemented. “For the past several years, you would have seen that as soon as pollution increased, GRAP was enforced and pollution began to decline,” he said.
‘Deliberate Non-Enforcement and Corruption’
However, Bharadwaj alleged that this year the system failed because the government deliberately manipulated readings. “This time, the government has committed large-scale fraud in the entire pollution-measurement system. If the actual pollution level is 500, the government reports it as 350. If it is 700, the government reports it as 400,” he said.
He further alleged that even the GRAP rules, which were officially in force, were being openly violated. “GRAP Stage 3 is in place today, but if you step outside my home, you will see construction going on day and night. Next to my house in Chirag Delhi, construction is happening continuously. If you go to Vinod Nagar, government road construction is going on non-stop,” he said.
Bharadwaj claimed that the government had “stopped neither private construction nor its own construction” and alleged large-scale corruption. “When corruption is allowed and no enforcement is done, pollution will only continue to rise,” he said.
He said Delhi was witnessing unprecedented pollution scenes this year due to manipulated data, deliberate non-enforcement and rampant corruption.
Posting newspaper clippings on X, Bharadwaj wrote: “‘Chachi 420’ Government’s fraud continues as false AQI figures are being fabricated even though the reality of Delhi’s toxic air is visible to everyone.”
CAQM Revises Graded Response Action Plan
Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) NCR and Adjoining Areas has revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the entire NCR, directed to impose the imposition of measures for the ‘Severe’ AQI category under GRAP Stage IV to be taken under GRAP Stage III, a press release said.
According to a press release by CAQM, as measures under GRAP IV are now under GRAP III, the NCR State Governments/GNCTD will decide whether public, municipal, and private offices can operate at 50 per cent strength, with the rest working from home. The Central Government may decide to permit work from home for employees in central government offices. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)