"Govt lies about artificial rain, colludes with private hospitals": AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj as air quality worsens in Delhi

New Delhi [India], October 21 (ANI): Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday, launched a scathing attack on the government, accusing it of failing to control pollution following Diwali celebrations and questioned as to why the "promised artificial rain was not conducted".
Bharadwaj's remarks came as New Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog after the Diwali festival, with air quality deteriorating to the 'Very Poor' category and most monitoring stations falling in the 'Red Zone'.
Speaking to ANI, Bharadwaj said that the government has a collusion with private hospitals. "The government lies. The government said that after Diwali, we would fix all the pollution by conducting artificial rain. Did artificial rain happen? No, my question is that if you could have conducted artificial rain, then why didn't you do it? Do you (the government) want people to fall ill. The government has a collusion with private hospitals," he said.
Earlier today, residents of Delhi have complained about breathing difficulties and irritation in eyes following the rise in air pollution post Diwali celebrations.
Speaking to ANI, Sagar, a resident of the national capital, held people accountable for the dip in air quality.
He said, "Pollution hasn't just been increasing today; it's been increasing for years. Everyone blames politicians, but the people themselves are like this. People aren't improving themselves. You'll get firecrackers, but it's up to you whether to burst them or not. Then they'll complain that the government isn't doing anything... There are problems in breathing, irritation in eyes."
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 359 as of 10 am today.
As per the CPCB, Bawana recorded AQI of 432 as of 10 am, Jahangirpuri had an AQI of 405, Ashok Vihar had an AQI of 408 and Wazirpur with an AQI 408 remains the worst hit areas with air quality falling under 'Severe' category.
During the 'very poor' air quality, residents might face breathing difficulties and one can develop respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.
The 'severe' air quality affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases, as per the CPCB.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.
Ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court had relaxed its earlier blanket prohibition on fireworks in the national capital and permitted the sale and use of green fireworks with some conditions.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had imposed Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the National Capital Region with immediate effect on Sunday. (ANI)