Gopal Rai demands accountability on Yamuna, pollution and green firework rules
New Delhi, November 9 – AAP senior figure Gopal Rai leveled serious allegations against the BJP‑led Delhi government, saying it is hiding the real extent of air‑pollution and turning the Yamuna clean‑up into a publicity stunt. Rai asserted that the administration prefers to mask problems with altered data rather than deliver tangible results.
He cited the Supreme Court’s directive that only “green” firecrackers may be ignited on Diwali and that fireworks should be confined to a two‑hour window. Rai argued that the capital witnessed massive, unregulated firecracker explosions that lasted far beyond the stipulated period, exposing residents to dangerous pollutants.
According to Rai, Delhi police submitted a file concerning firecracker usage to the state government in September, but decisive action was postponed until the eleventh hour, when the cabinet finally allowed the use of green fireworks. He questioned the feasibility of producing, storing, and distributing enough green crackers within a single week and demanded that the Chief Minister and the Environment Minister publicly clarify whether the crakers used were genuinely green.
Rai also claimed that the latest air‑quality figures were released only after a data‑theft episode, drawing parallels with earlier scandals of vote manipulation and donation siphoning during the BJP’s term. He dismissed the notion that limited water‑sprinkling at monitoring stations could mitigate smog, urging a city‑wide water‑spray operation and concrete steps to lower pollution levels.
He rebuked BJP MP Kapil Mishra for commenting on the issue, noting that Mishra does not hold the environmental portfolio and that the government should answer directly through the Chief Minister and Environment Minister.
Rai further highlighted inconsistencies in Punjab’s stubble‑burning data, which were previously reported at six thousand incidents but have now been revised to about one thousand. He demanded an explanation for the contradictory figures and asked why the green‑firecracker and two‑hour guidelines were ignored on Diwali, stressing that non‑compliance directly endangers public health.
On the Yamuna front, Rai described the river as still heavily polluted, accusing the government of using the clean‑up narrative as a “show” rather than delivering real improvement. He referred to a prior episode where fake “Chhath” ghats were erected to give the impression of progress, urging the administration to abandon shortcuts and focus on serious, long‑term remediation.