All govts need to work together to combat pollution: Saurabh Bharadwaj

New Delhi: Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday hit back at the BJP over the pollution issue, accusing it of "two-faced and dirty politics", and asked what the Centre has been doing to curb pollution in Delhi.

Interacting with PTI, he urged all governments to work together to combat pollution.

The Delhi BJP had on Friday accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in "political tourism" at a time when the city residents are facing severe air pollution.

The "inaction and insensitivity" of the Kejriwal government has turned Delhi into a "gas chamber," Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said.

Delhi's air quality plummeted to the 'severe plus' category on Friday morning, a stage at which all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of constructions, are mandated to be enforced in the national capital region (NCR).

"The BJP does two-faced politics, dirty politics. I ask BJP supporters living in Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Faridabad and Sahibabad. Can they not see pollution from their rooftops? TV channels operating in Noida, Greater Noida... Is pollution not there?" he asked.

"BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, what have they done? Delhi is the sole government under whose rule, diesel generators are banned for a long time. Go to Gurugram, Noida... many housing societies are using diesel generators as power is not there.

"We have banned brick kilns, thermal power plants and diesel-run public vehicles... All public vehicles operating either on CNG or electric ones," he said.

Bharadwaj asserted the Delhi government is encouraging use of e-vehicles.

The minister claimed PWD and MCD trucks are being used for fogging at several places, sprinkling water, but other governments are "sleeping over the issue."

"Has the Centre got no responsibility? Every now and then they say Delhi is a Union Territory and that Delhi belongs to the entire country. The smog is there in entire north India. What is the Centre doing?" he asked.

The city's AQI increased from 351 at 10 am on Thursday to 471 at 9 am on Friday, reflecting a sudden increase in pollution levels due to highly unfavourable meteorological conditions and a sharp spike in stubble-burning incidents in neighbouring states.

He said the Punjab government is asking for money to give subsidy to farmers. "Has the Centre given it," he asked.

"Because, the Centre feels let there be pollution, let their health deteriorate, all blame can be put on Arvind Kejriwal," he alleged.

"If Kejriwal is made a scapegoat, the pollution problem will not be solved. We will have to work together," Bharadwaj said.