Govt tables CAG report on pollution

The Delhi government on Tuesday tabled a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that highlighted serious shortcomings in the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's handling of air pollution, particularly in curbing vehicular emissions, expanding public transport and electric vehicles, and placing pollution monitors at proper locations.

- Snehil Sinha

NEW DELHI:

Presenting the report, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the AAP government of spending crores on pollution control initiatives that were never implemented, abandoned midway, or were ineffective. He cited the installation of smog towers worth ₹22 crore that became defunct within a year and ₹53 crore spent on the odd-even scheme, which he called ineffective. He also pointed out that 214,000 Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates were issued without proper checks.

The report, titled Performance Audit of Prevention and Mitigation of Vehicular Air Pollution in Delhi, is the eighth CAG report tabled in the Assembly since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the city.

"[AAP chief] Arvind Kejriwal looted crores of rupees from Delhi in the name of pollution and did not leave any area untouched. There is a long list of schemes that were either started in name only or were announced and crores were spent on their publicity, but the schemes never fructified," Sirsa said.

Speaker Vijender Gupta said all eight reports have been sent to the Public Accounts Committee for review, with a report expected within three months.