Due to Delhi's people, govt's hard work, we had 200 good air days: AAP

Priyanka Kakkar also took a dig at the Khattar-led-BJP govt in Haryana and said that the state was not being monitored in the context of air quality

Taking account of the air quality in the national capital, Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday said that it was due to the continuous efforts of the Delhi government that the metropolitan city experienced more than 200 days of good air quality this year.

The AAP spokesperson further said that the AAP-led governance in Punjab was also successful in the reduction of stubble burning by 50-67 per cent.

Speaking to ANI on the issue, Kakkar said, "Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and our Environment Minister are continuously working on the ground. Due to Delhi's people and the government's hard work, we had 200 good air days. In Punjab, we reduced stubble burning by 50-67 per cent. We are monitoring the air quality everywhere, but other governments are not even doing the monitoring."

Priyanka Kakkar also took a dig at the Manohar Lal Khattar-led-BJP government in Haryana and said that the state was not being monitored in the context of air quality.

"I read a report from yesterday where, out of the 52 most polluted districts in India, 22 are from Haryana, while only 2 districts are from Punjab. If monitoring in Haryana is only not happening, then how will they give solutions? They run from problems," Kakkar said.

Earlier, Delhi Environment Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai hailed the methods to combat air pollution in Delhi that were taken up during Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's governance.

Delhi, famous for its annual problem of smog, and bad air quality, saw more than 200 days of air quality this year, Minister Rai informed.

"Under the guidance of CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government is working on a war footing against pollution. We are happy that this year there were more than 200 days of good air quality. In 2016, it was 109; last year it was 163; and this year, 200 days have been done now," Gopal Rai told media.

Earlier in the day, Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to the Chief Minister of the bordering state, Uttar Pradesh to stop services of the BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles to the national capital.

Meanwhile, Delhi government has decided to ban the plying of BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars till further notice in view of the worsening air pollution in the city. If any such vehicles are found running on Delhi streets, a fine of Rs 20,000 can be collected.

The curbs under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were implemented as the air quality index in Delhi reached 'hazardous' levels.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Thursday.

The decision was taken in the meeting of the sub-committee under the GRAP held here in the national capital, earlier today.

The sub-committee reviewed the air quality scenario in the region as well as the forecasts for meteorological conditions and air quality index made available by IMD and IITM.

According to an official release by the CAQM, the Delhi government has imposed a ban on construction activities in the entire National Capital Region (NCR).