Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared an update on the Rekha Gupta-led BJP Government’s plan for artificial rain through cloud seeding, a long-awaited proposal to mitigate the annual air pollution crisis during approaching winters. Sirsa on Tuesday ruled out an immediate plan for cloud seeding, saying the seeding will only be possible “when there are clouds”.
“For those asking us, why are we not getting cloud seeding done. I want to tell these illiterate people; they are burning in vengeance and forget everything. In cloud seeding, the cloud comes first and then comes the seeding,” the minister said in the briefing.
“So, when the clouds will come, then there will be seeding. The day there are clouds, then there will be seeding done and there will be rain as well,” he added.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, alleged the Rekha Gupta-Government of failing to conduct artificial rainfall even as Delhi’s air turned ‘toxic’. Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj and former Environment Minister Gopal Rai questioned why the BJP Government did not follow through on its own promise to cleanse the air through artificial rain on Tuesday.
“Does the BJP Government want the people of Delhi to fall sick?” Saurabh Bharadwaj asked, reminding that the ruling party had claimed it would carry out artificial rainfall immediately after Diwali to bring pollution under control — but did nothing. He further pointed out that the BJP Government is working hand-in-glove with private hospitals, deliberately weakening facilities in Government hospitals as part of a plan to shut them down.
During a media interaction on Tuesday, senior AAP leader and Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said the BJP Government has been deceiving the people of Delhi with false claims about ending pollution in the city. He said, “The BJP Government had promised that it would tackle pollution by creating artificial rain after Diwali but failed to deliver on that commitment.”
“The Government had claimed that they would induce artificial rain after Diwali to control pollution, but no such rain took place. If the BJP Government truly had the capacity and had made a promise to make it happen, why did they not do it? Does the BJP Government want the people of Delhi to fall sick and rush to private hospitals?” Saurabh Bharadwaj asked.
Earlier, the Delhi Government had informed that it is preparing to conduct the much-anticipated artificial rain through cloud seeding this week as the air quality in the national capital worsened, partly due to the use of firecrackers during Diwali on Monday.
According to sources, the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led Government was expecting a green signal from the meteorological department between October 24 and 26, as weather conditions during that period are expected to be favourable.
The Delhi Environment Minister recently confirmed that the first trial of artificial rain through cloud seeding will be held after Diwali, once the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) gives a green light.