The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit out at the BJP government for its indifference towards tackling Delhi’s worsening pollution as winter sets in. Senior AAP leader and former Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the BJP government must answer for the delay in its Winter Action Plan, calling it a “sleeping government” even as pollution levels surge across the capital. “When Delhi’s pollution started rising, the BJP government announced the Winter Action Plan after a 15-day delay just to complete formalities,” he said.
The former Delhi Environment Minister further criticised the administration for failing to monitor the spraying of bio-decomposer to address stubble burning, saying that no such exercise is being carried out anywhere. “The government has not even held its annual meetings with private firms to control dust pollution, which were a regular part of Delhi’s strategy,” he added.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, former Environment Minister and senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said pollution is increasing rapidly as Diwali approaches, but the government “remains asleep.” He said, “After a 15-day delay, the BJP government hurriedly held a meeting on Thursday to announce the Winter Action Plan just to complete formalities. Every year, the pollution level starts rising after Diwali. I want to ask the BJP government—where was it sleeping for the last one month? Earlier, the process of preparing the Winter Action Plan used to begin on September 15, and it was always announced before October 1. Why has it been announced 15 days late this time? The government must answer this question.”
Gopal Rai said that Delhi now has a “four-engine BJP government”—the Centre, Delhi, MCD, LG, and Delhi Police are all under BJP control—yet the Winter Action Plan was delayed by 15 days. “Who is responsible for this delay? The officials, the ministers, or the entire government? Why was such negligence shown? Who will be accountable for the impact of pollution on people’s lives? The plan was announced hastily on Thursday, but when will it actually be implemented? Diwali is almost here, yet the war room has not been activated. Not even a single meeting has been held. The concerned minister hasn’t found time for even one meeting. How will work progress in such a situation?” he asked.
Speaking about the contents of the BJP government’s Winter Action Plan, the former Environment Minister pointed out that it mentions 100% spraying of bio-decomposer to address stubble burning. “But it’s been 15 days since the plan was announced—why hasn’t the minister gone to the ground? Where is the spraying happening, how is it being done, and for how many farmers? Why isn’t the minister visiting the field to monitor?” he said.
Gopal Rai also highlighted that in previous years, meetings were regularly held with private construction agencies as part of the anti-dust campaign to ensure both government and private entities played an active role in controlling dust pollution. “Has such a meeting been called this year? If not, when will it be held? Is the government waiting for pollution to rise after Diwali before acting? If no meeting has been held till now, how will implementation even begin?” he said.
Gopal Rai raised serious questions on the government’s preparedness, saying, “The Winter Action Plan has been announced 15 days late—but who will implement it on the ground? Our employees carry it out, but have they been trained? Have they been given instructions? Training hasn’t taken place till now. In previous years, mobile anti-smog guns were deployed across the city to sprinkle water on roads for dust control.”
“But this year, not a single mobile anti-smog gun is visible anywhere in Delhi. If they haven’t been deployed yet, why not? Why isn’t water sprinkling being done across the city? Is the government waiting for AQI to cross 300 or 400? Why is the government silent, why is it sleeping? Not a single field visit has been conducted at construction sites. All of this shows that the BJP government is playing with people’s lives, and that is deeply unfortunate,” said the former Environment Minister.
Gopal Rai added that when he raised the question two days ago about why the Winter Action Plan hadn’t been released, the government hurriedly called a meeting on Thursday to announce it. “But merely declaring a plan on paper does not mean it’s implemented. Preparations need to be made beforehand. After Diwali, pollution levels will rise so sharply that the government will have no option but to impose GRAP restrictions. The court will be forced to intervene.”
He noted, “Every year before GRAP is enforced, the Delhi government used to prepare a detailed action plan with all departments and implement it on the ground. This time, the BJP government has completely failed. I want to warn the government—they cannot play with people’s lives like this. This is their responsibility. The BJP thinks issuing statements will control pollution, but this is playing with the lives of Delhi’s citizens.”
Offering cooperation to the BJP government, Gopal Rai said, “AAP is ready to cooperate, and the people of Delhi are also willing to contribute. But if the government took 15 days just to announce the plan, it will take another 15 days to implement it. By then, lives will already be at risk. So stop issuing statements and start working urgently.”
He also expressed concern over the government’s delay in preparing for the sale of green crackers. “Today, I saw in the media that applications are being invited from manufacturers and sellers for green cracker licenses. If applications are being invited now, will the licenses even be issued before Diwali? That means toxic crackers will be sold, posing a serious threat to people’s health. Only two days are left—since the BJP governs at all levels, a single-window clearance should be created immediately.
“If the government works round-the-clock and issues licenses by Saturday, green crackers might still be available for Diwali. Otherwise, this will be another poisonous Diwali caused by government negligence,” Gopal Rai warned.
The former Environment Minister concluded with an appeal to the BJP government: “Wake up before it’s too late. Stop endangering the lives of Delhi’s citizens. If the government continues to sleep while pollution chokes the city, the people of Delhi will never forgive them.”
