"Pollution is a legacy problem resulting from the negligence of previous governments. If we look at pollution only from the perspective that the air should be clean, we will not get results. You have to work on dust, air and water together, with a holistic vision," she said.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood on Friday slammed former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the city's pollution crisis, alleging in a press conference that the Aam Aadmi Party has treated Delhi's pollution as a PR activity to consolidate its political foothold.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday announced that the government is closely monitoring the city's pollution levels and will consider measures such as artificial rain and the implementation of the odd-even rule if the situation escalates to the 'Severe' plus category.
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], November 10: Amidst the rising pollution levels, the ban on non-essential construction activities, and the anticipated return of the odd-even scheme in the city comes a breath of fresh air.
"The decision to implement the odd-even scheme will be made only after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order," Gopal Rai said, adding that the matter will be heard on Friday.
"The much-publicized odd-even scheme to fight air pollution post-Diwali that was announced by the AAP Government yesterday is nothing but an attempt to mislead people and courts to divert attention from the ongoing severe crisis in the capital caused by air pollution," the statement said.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia made the local State House Officer, under the overall supervision of the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, responsible for preventing crop burning.
After the Supreme Court said that schemes like odd-even for vehicles to tackle pollution issues are mere optics, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the government will incorporate the orders of the Supreme Court in the detailed planning.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot chaired a meeting on Tuesday to chalk out a plan for implementing the Odd-Even scheme in the national capital at Delhi Secretariat.
As the air quality in the national capital declined further on Monday, the political war of words peaked as Environment Minister Gopal Rai hit back at the BJP for questioning the return of the 'Odd-Even' rule amid mounting pollution concerns.