New Delhi:
In the AAP-vs-Centre battle over what’s right for Delhi, traffic lights are the latest battlefront. Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, appointed by the BJP’s central government, sees no logic in the AAP government’s drive to ask commuters to switch engines off at traffic signals as an “anti-pollution” measure.
He has returned the file to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for reconsideration — a set of questions attached — of the “Red Light On, Car Off” campaign whose publicity had already begun.
The AAP, which held a protest at Mr Saxena’s home, said the move is “another symptom of his illness”, and later added that it would resubmit the file.
“He has an illness called ‘chhapaas’ (wanting to be in the news),” AAP MP Sanjay Singh said about the Mr Saxena, “A lot of diseases have been spreading in our country. I pray that the LG stays healthy. But he has caught this incurable disease.”
“He is the first LG who is supporting pollution,” said Mr Singh.
But Mr Saxena has said, “There is no evidence that air pollution can be controlled this way. Information about effects seen through such campaigns in the past has not been given in the proposal.”
And he’s also called the plan “inhumane and exploitative” towards Civil Defence volunteers who’d be stationed as monitors “in the midst of excessive pollution and traffic” at signals. “The Department of Law and Revenue should also check whether Civil Defence volunteers can be used in this way,” he has said.
The file-reversal came as several leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, earlier today, held a sit-in outside Mr Saxena’s home for “delaying” the file.
Mr Saxena has said Chief Minister Kejriwal sat on the file for 10 days before sending it to him on October 21. According to the Lieutenant Governor, Environment Minister Gopal Rai and Arvind Kejriwal are making false claims that the scheme was to begin from October 28, while the date given to his office was October 31.
