Delhi BJP credits Gautam Gambhir for Delhi's 1st smog tower; accuses CM Kejriwal of lying

Accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of "mastery in lying," the Delhi BJP on Monday reprimanded the CM's assertion of installing India's 'first' smog tower in Delhi on Monday. The saffron party said that Delhi's first smog tower was installed by BJP MP from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir, in 2020. 
 

Kejriwal's "India's 'first' smog tower" comment courts controversy

The AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday inaugurated a smog tower in Connaught Place and said it was India's 'first' smog tower.

Delhi BJP accuses AAP Supremo of doing 'mastery' in lying

Soon after that, the Delhi BJP accusing the Chief Minister of misleading people stated that Delhi's first smog tower was installed by Gautam Gambhir in 2020 and that CM Kejriwal has done 'mastery' in lying. The outfit also urged Kejriwal to stop misleading the people. 

On the other hand, CM Arvind Kejriwal during the inauguration of the smog tower said, "To fight pollution, we have installed India's first smog tower in Delhi today. This technology has been imported from America. This is a 24-metre tall tower, will clean the air around the one-kilometre range, will pull the air from above and release it downward, and will release 1,000 square meters per second." 

Notably, former Indian Cricket Team member and BJP MP from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir had on January 3 inaugurated a prototype air purifier at Lajpat Nagar in the national capital. The Supreme Court earlier in November 2019 had directed the Centre and the Delhi government to prepare a project to install ‘smog towers’ across the nation's capital to fight air pollution.

Subsequently, on November 24, 2020, BJP MP Gambhir had installed a giant air purifier in the Krishna Nagar market area of his East Delhi constituency, the third such purifier that he set up to tackle air pollution in the city. The first two of these air purifiers were installed at Lajpat Nagar and Gandhi Nagar markets.

Smog towers work as large-scale air purifiers. The towers constitute a number of layers of air filters and fans at the base which absorbs the air. As the contaminated air infiltrates the smog tower, it is filtered by the multiple layers fitted in it before the air is re-circulated into the atmosphere.