CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini came down heavily on Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of lying and deflecting blame for their own failures in addressing the deteriorating water quality of the Yamuna River.
He criticized the Delhi government for not taking responsibility for the 28 drains of dirty water flowing into the Yamuna from Delhi to Okhla.
“I think AAP’s Delhi Government is habitual of lying and blaming others for their own mistakes. Delhi Government is habitual of seeing shortcomings in everyone but themselves. BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand) of water given by Haryana to Delhi is about 2-3 mg per litre. BOD of water supplied to Delhi through CLC canal is almost zero. But Delhi Government should tell who is responsible for the 28 drains of dirty water going into Yamuna from Delhi water to Okhla,” Saini told ANI.
The Haryana CM questioned the AAP government on the Rs 6,000 crores allocated by the Centre under the Yamuna Action Plan, including Rs 3,000 crores given in the last two years.
“AAP Government should tell about the more than Rs 6000 Crores given by the Centre under Yamuna Action Plan, of this Rs 3000 Crores was given in the last 2 years. What did they do with that money?,” he said.
Hitting out at the former CM and AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Saini said, “I think blaming others and building ‘sheesh mahal’ with government funds is the ritual of Delhi’s AAP government…Their allegations have no facts. This should do self-introspection first.”
This comes after Atishi launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of playing “dirty politics” which she claims is the real cause behind both air and water pollution in the city.
She assured the public that under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government is actively working to resolve the situation.
“The pollution levels in Delhi are increasing. Not only is air pollution rising, but pollution in the Yamuna River has also worsened over the past few days, as evidenced by the formation of toxic foam at Kalindi Kunj. Today, the people of Delhi want to know the reason behind this, and I tell them, the real reason is the dirty politics of the BJP. Everyone is aware that stubble burning is a major contributor to rising pollution levels in Delhi during winter. The AAP government in Punjab has significantly reduced stubble burning over the past two years. According to the Centre’s own statistics, incidents of stubble burning have been halved since the AAP took charge in Punjab. In contrast, if you look at Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, stubble burning has actually increased. In Haryana, farm fires have risen by 23%, and in Uttar Pradesh, they have surged by 70%,” said Atishi during a press conference on Sunday.
Questioning the BJP-led governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, CM Atishi asked, “If the Punjab government can reduce stubble burning, why can’t the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana do the same? In Delhi, we have only CNG and electric buses, whereas 100% of the interstate buses coming from UP and Haryana are diesel-powered. Why can’t the governments of Haryana and UP introduce electric buses? It’s because they want to play dirty politics with the people of Delhi. While Delhi has no brick kilns, there are 3,800 brick kilns in the NCR region, contributing significantly to pollution levels in the capital.”
Further criticising BJP leaders for their visits to the Yamuna River in the Kalindi Kunj area, Atishi said, “BJP leaders have been visiting Kalindi Kunj for photoshoots, but the real cause of the toxic foam in the Yamuna is industrial waste being dumped into the river by factories in Haryana. The UP government also contributes to the problem by releasing polluted water into the Yamuna.”
Promising action to combat the rising pollution levels, Atishi said, “We are continuously working to find solutions under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. For the past two years, we have been defoaming the Yamuna, and we will begin this process again tonight.” (ANI)
Also Read:Â Delhi’s RML Hospital to open special pollution OPD
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