Delhi government cuts budget of controlling air pollution when it is at worst level

New Delhi, Jan 1: Delhi is reeling under severe air pollution problem but the city government has cut the budget on pollution to the tune of 25 per cent which was meant for controlling air pollution in Delhi in its revised budget for 2018-19. This has happened when pollution in Delhi is at dangerous level for the past one week.

For the year 2018-19, under the provisions of the revised budget in which many departments have got more funds but the budget for controlling air pollution that got an allocation of Rs 10 crore for 2018-19 but in revised budget it has been reduced to Rs 7.5 crore for this financial year which is 25 per cent of the allocated budget.

The cut in the budget has been made when air of the city has become poisonous and pollution in the city is at the worst level. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked the Centre to come forward to deal with the air pollution in the city. He said that there is no boundary for air that means he held Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh responsible for air pollution in Delhi due to crop being burnt by the farmers of these states. The Delhi government has been saying that crop burning has been the main issue of pollution in Delhi.

Sources in the Delhi government said that on one hand there was a cut in the budget of pollution control but there was an increase in the budget of Trans Yamuna Board of around Rs 52 crore. The budget proposed in March 2018-19 provided Rs 48 crore for the board which has been revised to Rs 100 crore. It means there was a hike of over 100 per cent in the budget of Trans Yamuna Board.

There was a budget of Rs 795 crore for unauthorized colonies in the same financial year but no change has been made. But the budget of Swaksh Bharat Mission has been reduced from Rs 40 crore to Rs 30 crore.

People say that actually Delhi is suffering more due to the neglect from the government, populist measures and measures taken for electoral gains and losses. But shunning the responsibility by raking up issues like crop burning does not help the cause. Many more other reasons and issues are sighted for air pollution by experts on air pollution.