New Delhi: The Delhi Congress on Thursday lashed out at the AAP for burning Ravana effigies in the national capital and said this "blatant violation" of pollution norms caused the air quality in the city to turn poor. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday burnt effigies of Ravana at around 3,500 locations in Delhi in a symbolic protest against the BJP's "failure" to maintain cleanliness in the capital.
'Ravana made of BJP's garbage' was written on all the effigies burnt during the protest. Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar said that because of burning the effigies, the air quality in the national capital turned "poor". It was a "blatant violation" of the guidelines of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), he said.
"The CAQM has put a total ban on burning of waste, use of generators and construction work generating dust, but AAP leaders and workers flouted the guideline and put the lives of Delhiites in danger," he added. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued a 15-point "Delhi Winter Action Plan" on September 30 which included a ban on waste burning and AAP workers "violated their leader's direction".
The AAP had earlier announced that the effigies that would be burnt during the protest would be made of garbage. However, the party later changed its plan in view of the ban, AAP sources had said on Tuesday. "People of Delhi are tormented by both air and water pollution as the Yamuna in Delhi is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Despite Delhi getting record rainfall in September, the Yamuna stays severely polluted," Kumar said.
The Congress demanded that the CAQM take action against AAP leaders and workers for violating the pollution control guidelines. (PTI)
