As air quality worsens in Delhi, Bhartiya Janata Party spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla took a jibe at the Delhi government stating that Delhi has achieved a milestone by crossing Lahore in terms of pollution.
He said, “Delhi is covered under a layer of pollution. You cannot even go out without wearing a mask. Delhi has achieved a milestone as it has crossed Lahore in pollution. AAP has brought Delhi to a state worse than Lahore. Today, the AQI is crossing the mark of 500-600. They (AAP) blame UP, Haryana and Diwali for all this. Earlier, they used to blame stubble burning in Punjab, now they don’t say anything.”
This comes a day after he was cited wearing a gas mask to protest choking conditions caused by smog in Delhi. “Delhi has become a gas chamber. AAP used to blame stubble burning in Punjab for that. Now, more than 6000 cases of stubble burning have happened in Punjab but they chose to stay silent on that. They blame Diwali, UP and Haryana for the rise in air pollution. But they stay silent on the internal reasons of Delhi for this situation…Whether it is pollution in Yamuna River or air pollution in Delhi, AAP is responsible for all this.”
Delhi AQI in ‘very poor’ category
Notably, the air pollution is on the rise in the national capital. According to the latest Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the AQI level in Delhi was 428 at 8 am. AQI at Anand Vihar was recorded as 470, 469 at Ashok Vihar, 417 at ITO and 451 at Rohini.
According to AQI classifications, a range of 0-50 is considered “good,” 51-100 “satisfactory,” 101-200 “moderate,” 201-300 “poor,” 301-400 “very poor,” and 401-500 “severe.”
(With inputs from agencies)