Closure of the ‘Smog Tower’ in Connaught Place has kicked up a controversy with Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai again raised the issue, blaming the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and its chairman Ashwani Kumar for it. 

He also shared the documents related to Smog Tower in Connaught Place at his social media handle on Saturday. Delhi has been choking under severe toxic air for the past few days.

The rapid deterioration in air quality and fog has also plunged the visibility in the national capital as a suffocating smog gripped the city.

Rai wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, seeking the suspension of Kumar for “arbitrarily halting” the operation of a large smog tower installed at Connaught Place two years ago to mitigate air pollution. 

In the letter to Kejriwal, Rai also sought disciplinary action against the project in-charge, Anwar Ali, whom the minister accused of changing his stance on the smog tower’s effectiveness under pressure from Kumar.

Rai said as the Delhi Air Quality Index (AQI) worsened, several BJP leaders went to the Connaught Place-located smog tower and made videos accusing the Aam Aadmi Party of being behind it. I thought it was important for the people in Delhi to know under what conspiracy the smog tower in Delhi was shut and who did it…” Rai said at a press conference.

“I would like to propose the suspension and disciplinary action against Ashwani Kumar, Chairman DPCC, for acting in contempt of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions, not implementing the council of ministers’ decision, arbitrarily halting operations and maintenance payments, failing to make decisions based on the merits of the study and presenting them before the Cabinet, and not reopening the smog tower after the monsoon months, which prevented the formation of clean air zones at a time when pollution levels are expected to rise,” Rai wrote.

The Environment Minister mentioned, “IIT Bombay submitted its report to the government on 30th September 2023. It was found that the smog tower possessed a range of impact of about 500 meters. Instead of building upon the findings of the IIT Bombay report and drafting a policy/action plan accordingly, on 10th October 2023 a note was put out stating that the impact of the smog tower at a certain distance is very low, and the project should be closed”.

“As a result, the project on which the Delhi government has spent Rs 23.63 crores is now lying idle and unused in the peak pollution season. These machines have now been shut down and allowed to rust. Payment of just a sum of  Rs 2.09 crore had to be made to O&M, which could have allowed the smog tower to continue functioning. But it is surprising to see the lengths to which the DPCC chairman was willing to go to stop the work of public good,” he said.

 “It is quite surprising that the officer in charge who was insisting on continuing the project till the completion of the pilot study by IIT Bombay, completely changed his stance  in the note on August 1, 2023 without even waiting for the final results of the study. It appears that Ashwini Kumar cast accusations against him about providing misleading data and threatened him disciplinary action, the project in charge took a diametrically opposite views without considering the final report,” Rai said in a note which shared on his X handle.

“Suspension of and disciplinary action against the DPCC Project in-charge Dr. Anwar Ali Khan for his sudden volte-face regarding the efficacy of the Smog Tower.

His change of opinion was not backed by any change in scientific data, and this led to shutting down of the Smog Tower that was set up based on the directions of the Supreme Court.  Immediate reopening of the smog tower and release of funds for necessary O&M payments so that the smog tower may help combat pollution at localised scale during the winter months where Delhi faces high pollution levels.

The report of IIT Bombay may be placed before the Cabinet and the Supreme Court so that further action plan may be decided,” Rai said in the note.