AAP accuses BJP of manipulating Delhi air quality data
The party has demanded a criminal investigation into officials for allegedly spraying water at monitoring stations to lower pollution readings.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP-led Delhi government of falsifying air quality index (AQI) data and has called for legal action against Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa. According to reports from Rediff and Urban Acres, the party alleges that monitoring stations, specifically in Jahangirpuri, are being sprayed with water to artificially reduce pollution levels.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj filed a formal complaint with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). He requested criminal proceedings against Gupta and Sirsa, alleging that the manipulation of ambient AQI data puts vulnerable citizens, such as children and the elderly, at risk by providing a false sense of security.
The confrontation also involves disputes over crop-burning statistics. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that satellite data showed 933 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab between October 26 and November 1. He further alleged that Punjab had not submitted a utilisation certificate for central funds meant for crop-residue management.
AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu and other leaders rejected these claims, stating that stubble-burning incidents in Punjab have dropped significantly. Pannu noted that Parliament data showed an 80 per cent decline in such incidents last year, while AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Anurag Dhanda stated cases fell from about 5,000 last year to approximately 1,000 this year.
The party has demanded an independent, high-level investigation into the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and a strict audit of data acquisition systems. AAP also announced a social media campaign to raise awareness regarding the alleged data fraud.