Delhi will be pollution free, will enjoy better AQI this October: Rekha Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta speaks at the Rising Bharat Summit.

• Delhi CM promises better air quality by October than last year
• Plans include more EV buses, fitness centres, and green cover
• New EV policy aims to boost clean fuel adoption among citizens

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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed confidence about the pollution level improving in the national capital and said come October, it will enjoy a better air quality than what it experienced last year.

Gupta was speaking at the Rising Bharat Summit in New Delhi on Saturday. Asked a question on the lines of the theme as to whethere Delhi will be able to rise from the increasing pollution levels or not, Gupta took a dig at the erstwhile AAP government and said the AAP demanded accountability for works it could not undertake while it was in power for 11 years.

"The government that could not do anything in the 11 years is demanding answers from a government that has only completed an year in office.  We have a scientific road map to take things forward and tackle the issues Delhi is facing," said Gupta.

Stating that Delhi will definitely be pollution-free, the CM said,  "We are not treating pollution as a seasonal affair. We have a scientific road map in hand to deal with pollution as a whole."

"We are working on the sources of vehicular emission. We are trying to ensure no vehicle plies without a pollution under control (PUC) certificate," said Gupta.

Accusing the AAP of not setting up any fitness centres, Gupta said, "We are trying to ensure all vehicles are free of emission and successfully transition to clean fuel. We are already working to set up two automated fitness centres, both of which will be ready by June.  We are planning to come up with five more automated fitness centres."

The Delhi CM said the BJP government is working on pollution in a planned manner. "We have bagged the largest contract of electric buses and have 4,000 EV buses in our fleet. Our plan is to make the whole fleet run on clean energy."

The Delhi government is also planning to bring a new EV policy to encourage private vehicle owners to adopt clean fuel technologies. "We are also working on last-mile connectvity to encourage citizens to take public transport and reduce their dependence on their own vehicles," said Gupta.

Apart from taking steps to curb vehicular emissions, Gupta said the BJP government in Delhi has also notified 4,200 hectares of the ridge area as a forest, something which no other government has done before.

"As many as 35 lakh saplings have been planted to increase green cover.  Wall-to-wall carpeting has to be done. We will move ahead with public partnership," said the Delhi CM.

"We will provide solutions in every sector to tackle pollution problem. This is not time-bound, it is an ongoing process," said Gupta stating the BJP government is taking steps so that Delhi enjoys better AQI coming October.