New Delhi [India]: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday recommended the immediate suspension of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) Chairman Ashwani Kumar to the Lieutenant Governor, in a move to expedite action on bureaucracy obstructing the government’s efforts to fight rising pollution.
Earlier, Environment Minister Gopal Rai suggested immediate suspension of the DPCC Chairman over his persistent insubordination and laxity against public interest.
The Environment Minister stated that the DPCC Chairman Ashwani Kumar suo-moto halted the payment of the IIT Kanpur’s Real Time Source Apportionment study on tackling pollution in the national capital.
This was in violation of the decision by the Council of Ministers.
In another matter, Rai said that the DPCC Chairman Ashwani Kumar Suo-moto ordered the stopping of the functioning of smog towers in violation of the decision of the SC and the Council of Ministers.
The minister said that the Central Government appointed Ashwani Kumar as the Chairman of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and he stopped the payment for the study of the smog tower.
The Delhi Environment Minister said, “Violating all traditions, the Central Government appointed Ashwani Kumar as the Chairman of DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee).
Using his superpower, Ashwani Kumar violated a Supreme Court order and stopped the payment for the study of the smog tower. Following this, the agencies stopped the study and the smog tower was shut.”
The Minister blamed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee for the closure of the tower.
“The responsibility for the smog tower at Anand Vihar was given to the Central govt-CPCB and the Delhi government was given the responsibility of the smog tower in CP.
The smog tower at CP (set up in 2021) was operational and the final report of the data collected was to come out after two years. In December, Ashwini Kumar became DPCC chairman. Soon after his appointment, he stopped the Real-time Source Apportionment study without informing the Delhi government. He also stopped payments to IIT-Bombay and other agencies who were working on the smog tower. Since then the smog tower has stopped working,” Gopal Rai said.
Earlier on Friday BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla had protested at the Smog Tower in Delhi’s Connaught place wearing a World War Style Gas Mask. The BJP leader claimed that the tower had not been operational for eight months.
The air pollution crisis is an annual affair in Delhi. Air pollution levels can be high during the winter months for a number of reasons, including dust and vehicular pollution, dry-cold weather, stubble burning, burning crop residues after the harvest season, and commuting.
Cold air is denser and moves slower than warm air, so it traps pollution and doesn’t whisk it away. This means that air pollution in winter remains in place for much longer than during the summer.
According to doctors, for any healthy person, a recommended AQI should be less than 50, but these days the AQI has spiked beyond 400, which could prove fatal for people, particularly with comorbidities.
