The Delhi government on Thursday blamed the former AAP led dispensation for the worsening pollution crisis, saying its failure to complete key environmental tasks had made the problem more difficult to address now.
Addressing a press conference amid rising air pollution levels, Delhi minister Parvesh Verma displayed a list of works that he said the previous government should have completed. He alleged that none of these tasks were carried out over the past 11 years.
“If the AAP government had even done half of these tasks, we would have had to do only the remaining ones. But Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government have not done even a single task in the last 11 years,” Verma said.
The tasks highlighted by the government included removal of garbage mountains, development of parks, repair of footpaths, e waste management, cleaning of the Yamuna, sewage treatment, road cleaning and plastic waste management, among others.
Verma said the pollution problem did not emerge overnight and had been persisting for years. “Our government in Delhi has been in place for the past 9 months. From February 20, 2025, the Chief Minister of Delhi and all ministers have been out on Delhi’s roads. The Delhi government has been successful in every programme,” he said.
He further accused the former chief minister of misleading the public. “If Arvind Kejriwal had done even a little bit of work, we would have had to do only the remaining work. Still, the misfortune is that Arvind Kejriwal has deceived the people of Delhi,” Verma added.
Verma’s remarks came on a day when stricter pollution curbs came into force in the national capital. These include a shift to hybrid work from home arrangements for offices, a ban on the entry of certain vehicles into the city and denial of fuel to vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control certificates.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Air Quality Index stood at 358 at 8 am on Thursday, placing it in the very poor category. Dense fog across the city also disrupted air traffic, with airport officials confirming that 22 flights were cancelled and more than 250 were delayed at the Delhi airport.
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