Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Saturday blamed the AAP government for the air and water pollution in the national capital, claiming it did nothing over the past 10 years while in power in Delhi.
Addressing a press conference, Dikshit -- the Congress candidate from the New Delhi constituency for the February 5 Assembly polls -- claimed there were around 5,500 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses in 2013, but the number has now reduced to around 3,000.
"In 2013, 43 lakh people used to commute in DTC buses, but today only 41 lakh people travel in DTC and cluster buses. The numbers should have increased to around 60-65 lakh, given the rise in population, but it has dropped to 41 lakh. If these surplus 20-25 lakh people are opting for private transport, it clearly adds to pollution levels," Dikshit said. Dikshit also said that blaming stubble burning for Delhi's air pollution and placing the responsibility on farmers in neighbouring states was not justified.
"Stubble burning has existed for decades, but the main cause of Delhi's air pollution is the sharp spike in the number of vehicles on the roads, the lack of a robust public transport system, and severe erosion of the green cover," he said.
Between 1998 and 2013, the Congress government, headed by Sheila Dikshit, had increased the green cover, brought nearly one crore vehicles under CNG fuel, including DTC buses, expanded public transport and rapidly expanded the Delhi Metro, he added.
