The Delhi Government on Tuesday issued a notice to stop work at the BJP headquarters and imposed a fine of `5 lakh on private firm Larsen & Toubro Ltd for violating the ban on construction and demolition work imposed in the national Capital due to worsening air pollution.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday informed that a fine of `5 lakh has been imposed on the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg for violation of air pollution norm.
“The workers said the work concerned the BJP’s national headquarters.”
“It is a complete violation of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)’s orders. We have issued an order to stop work at the site and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the construction agency L&T,” Rai said after inspecting a construction site near Rouse Avenue at DDU marg.
Later in a tweet, Rai said: “A surprise inspection as part of the anti-dust campaign found violations at the under construction BJP office. Construction was continuing despite the ban on construction activity in Delhi. DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) has been directed to stop the construction activity and impose a fine of Rs. 5 lakh.”
Officials said the Minister noticed construction work at the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg while he was returning after inspecting a construction site of the Unique Identification Authority of India. The CAQM-- a statutory body formed in 2021 to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR -- had on Saturday directed authorities to impose a ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR, except in essential projects, and other curbs under stage three of the Graded Response Action plan (GRAP).
Blaming the BJP for air pollution, Rai further said that the ideology of the BJP favours rising air pollution levels as the party voiced support to bursting of firecrackers but did not help the Punjab Government provide a cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue.
“Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena would not have stopped the implementation of the “Red Light on, Gaadi off” campaign to reduce vehicular emissions in Delhi without instructions from the saffron party, Rai said.
“The mindset and the ideology of the BJP favour an increase in the air pollution levels. Punjab would have seen a large-scale reduction in stubble burning had the Centre supported the State Government’s initiative to provide a cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue,” Rai said. “We also saw that those in the BJP were busy supporting the bursting of firecrackers in Delhi (on Diwali). They too live in Delhi. All of us should work together to fight air pollution. The Delhi Government is doing everything it can and we need support. I request those associated with the BJP to step back from campaigns that increase air pollution,” he added.
The BJP should stop considering air pollution as a problem of a particular political party or of particular States, the AAP leader said.