PWD, DJB responsible for rise in dust, air pollution: North Delhi Mayor

North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash on Tuesday alleged that the Public Works Department of the city government and its water board are responsible for the increasing level of dust and air pollution in the city. The mayor claimed that the PWD and the DJB are responsible because, these departments usually do digging work and move earth at various places in Delhi.

He said the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has to lift debris from roads under the jurisdiction of the PWD so that air pollution is mitigated. "Neither the government of Delhi's Public Works Department nor the Delhi Jal Board is giving funds to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation for lifting debris for their job or work done in their jurisdiction," he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office.

These departments of the Delhi government "do not pick up even 'malba' from the areas under their jurisdiction, due to which air pollution is increasing in Delhi," he alleged. Delhi Assembly's environment committee had summoned the commissioners of the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations here over the problem of dust pollution, and asked them to appear on Monday.

Road dust is a major contributor to Delhi's pollution, yet the municipal corporations in Delhi are not deploying mechanical sweeping, the committee's chairperson and AAP MLA Atishi has said in a statement on Sunday. "The MCD is responsible for rising dust levels in Delhi. A TERI report shows that MCD is not using the mechanical sweeping machines as mandated by the National Green Tribunal," she charged. The environment committee had received several complaints from different parts of the city on rising levels of dust and ensuing air pollution caused by the manual sweeping of roads done by the corporations, she added.