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“Ten months cannot be the basis for any final assessment. Our work on pollution has just started and it will take at least two years,” Tiwari said.
He said air pollution remains a serious challenge for the national capital and asserted that the government has been working on it from day one.
In an interview with PTI Videos, he said people should trust the government, have patience and cooperate with the steps being taken.
“Pollution cannot be reduced overnight. We request the people of Delhi to have patience and support the steps being taken because this is possible only with public cooperation,” he said.
Delhi recorded a significant improvement in air quality on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 236, following which GRAP Stage 3 restrictions were revoked in the city.
Sharing a personal example, Tiwari said he is an asthma patient and in previous years, he had to stay outside Delhi for about one-and-a-quarter months due to severe pollution, but this year the difficult period lasted only around 15 to 16 days.”This time, the situation was there but it remained for only fifteen to sixteen days. The rest of the time, I stayed in Delhi with some discomfort.
If there is a proper review, the situation is better than previous years, but we cannot make claims yet,” he said.
Speaking about the Aam Aadmi Party and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Tiwari said claims that pollution had worsened under the present government were based on political statements.
He said pollution levels should be judged through measurable data and not through political statements, adding that air quality readings are publicly available.
“AQI is a standard and anyone can check it on their mobile phone. This will not change by someone’s words or by my denial,” he said.
He further added that this year, the AQI has not gone above 415 in any condition, whereas in previous years it went up to around 900. “Pollution cannot be judged by statements; it has to be seen through data,” he said.
He also dismissed allegations that AQI data was being manipulated, calling them ‘amusing’.
“Some people even said that AQI machines were tampered with. This is laughable because AQI is available on everyone’s mobile phone and anyone can check it,” Tiwari said.
He said the government’s intention to reduce pollution is clear and stressed that electric mobility is being pushed as a key measure.
“We are focusing on electric vehicles. More than 4,000 buses have been converted to electric,” he said.
Tiwari added that steps have also been taken to shift away from coal-based power and ease traffic congestion.
“We have converted the coal-based power plant at Okhla to gas and shifted it to Bawana. The eastern and western peripheral roads were developed to divert trucks outside Delhi. UVR-2 has started and work is underway on UVR-1 to reduce congestion,” he said.
On the Yamuna pollution issue, Tiwari added that sustained efforts are being made to clean the river and make it accessible to people.
“Earlier, the Yamuna was not people-friendly. It had become buffalo-friendly, garbage-friendly and chemical-friendly. Now work is being done on a war footing to make it people-friendly,” he said.
He added that the chief minister has personally monitored the work.
He also asserted that earlier the rules on the removal of tree caused hardship even when they posed a danger to houses or blocked access.
“There was a time when even if a tree endangered a house, it could not be removed. That injustice has been corrected, while ensuring that many more trees are planted in return,” he said.
Speaking about the multiple-engine government, Tiwari said the government was still in the early phase of its tenure.
“We have said that a two-engine government is like a train getting back on track. Right now, we are putting Delhi on track. Give us two to two-and-a-half years and we will make Delhi one of the most important cities in terms of ease of living and breathing,” he said.
