New Delhi [India], October 23 : As Delhi tops the chart of the world's most polluted cities according to IQAir, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena expressed his concern to Chief Minister Atishi on Wednesday.
LG Saxena wrote to Atishi, criticising her for offering no solutions to the pollution problem.
"We have once again been branded the most polluted city in the world. Our residents, especially the poor, apart from having their lives shortened by deadly air pollution, are also facing a loss of livelihood. As in the past, no concrete answers are being provided, and no solutions are being offered," LG Saxena wrote.
Saxena stated that he has "written pleading letters to the CM" expressing his concerns after reviewing the pollution situation on multiple occasions.
"This has been my experience as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, the national capital of India, over the past two years or so. In the discharge of my duties, I reviewed the situation on many occasions, wrote pleading letters to the Chief Ministers of neighbouring states, and duly endorsed them to our own Chief Minister," Saxena wrote.
He asserted that the current situation in Delhi is "completely avoidable" and the solutions lie "in our own hands." He also mentioned having raised this issue with former CM Arvind Kejriwal.
"Even as the capital begins to gasp due to polluted air, which will only worsen as we move forward, my experience has been that the situation is entirely avoidable and that the solutions are largely in our own hands. In several meetings with your predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, I flagged all the issues and tried my best to convince him that these are surmountable and should be addressed. However, all my requests went unheeded," Saxena said to Atishi.
He urged ministers, policymakers, and officers to step out of 'posh' areas and witness the situation firsthand.
"Delhi is much more than the spruced-up and sanitised localities many of us have the privilege of residing in. It extends beyond the NDMC and Civil Lines areas. As we face the grim reality we must live with, I would request all of us in positions of power--ministers, policymakers, and officers, who are largely confined to posh areas--to come out and see for themselves how simple and easy it is to overcome what has been made to appear insurmountable due to the neglect and apathy of those in charge. As always, I am ready to work with you to help mitigate the dust disaster in the city," LG wrote.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai wrote to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, urging him to convene a meeting with all stakeholders to address the rising air pollution in the national capital.