New Delhi: The hazardous air quality index (AQI) levels in Delhi-NCR have left the administration struggling for answers and solutions.
Despite the strictest Graded Response Action Plan measures being imposed two days ago, there hasn’t been too much improvement. After overall AQI remained in the ‘severe’ category for three straight days, it eased slightly to ‘very poor’ on Tuesday.
In the latest move to curb pollution further, Delhi’s Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced that vehicle owners withou
t a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will be denied fuel at petrol pumps from Thursday.
Observing that the pollution crisis could not be reversed within months – BJP came to power in February 2025 – Sirsa apologised to the citizens.
“It is impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in 9-10 months. I apologise for the pollution in Delhi,” Sirsa said, according to ANI.
The minister went on to blame the Aam Aadmi Party, which ruled Delhi since 2015.
“We are doing better work than the dishonest Aam Aadmi Party government, and we have reduced AQI each day. This disease of pollution is given to us by the AAP, and we are working to fix it,” Sirsa stated.
Comparing the AQI levels, Sirsa said: “The AQI today stands at 363, which falls under the severe category, and it has remained at this level for the past 10 years. On the same day last year, the AQI was 380, whereas today it is 363.”