Kejriwal: Delhi will be pollution-free in the next five years if AAP returns

NEW DELHI: Addressing his third town hall meeting, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his government would make Delhi free of air pollution in another five years if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power again.

As part of its ongoing campaign for the upcoming Delhi polls, AAP is organising seven such town halls between December 26 and January 7 – one in each of Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha constituencies. All of them are to be addressed by Kejriwal. These meeting comprise discussions on the party’s “report card” released earlier this month, followed by question-and-answer sessions.

“Pollution decreased by 25% in the last five years; we aim to make Delhi pollution-free in the next five years,” said Kejriwal, who is also AAP’s national convener, at Monday’s town hall in north-east Delhi’s Durgapuri. The CM was responding to a person who asked him how long Delhi residents would have to continue wearing anti-pollution masks in winters.

The event, organised in an open area with a makeshift tent, was attended by around 1,000 people comprising men, women, students, businessmen, young professionals and elderly residents.

“Delhi has seen immense development in terms of industrial and technical growth but despite that pollution has decreased by 25% in the last five years. Earlier, power cut was a major issue and around 6 lakh generators were used. There are no power cuts and generators are not in use, which reduced smoke and pollution,” he said. He said, “Secondly, we have carried out tree plantation on around 1,100 acres of land across Delhi, which has majorly decreased pollution in the city. Third, The Centre has constructed the East-West Peripheral Highway , which has reduced the number of trucks .