Hisar: Sirsa MP and Congress general secretary Kumari Selja on Friday expressed concern over deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR and several cities of Haryana, saying providing clean air is the constitutional and moral responsibility of govts.She also said blaming one another for pollution would not provide any relief to the public.The senior Congress functionary pointed out that when the Aam Aadmi Party was in power in Delhi, it blamed the BJP govt in Haryana for the pollution crisis, and now, with the BJP in power in Delhi, the same allegations are being levelled against the AAP govt in Punjab.She asked what effective and long-term measures both parties took during their respective tenures to tackle the problem.Selja said the BJP made major promises regarding pollution control and cleaning the Yamuna while assuming power in Delhi, but people were still waiting for tangible results.She also questioned the Centre’s record, asking how much money had been spent on cleaning rivers and controlling pollution during nearly 12 years of BJP rule and what outcomes had been achieved.The MP further raised concern over the Ghaggar river pollution. Selja said pollution in the river, considered a lifeline for the region, was a serious issue. Questions have been raised about the quality of its water and its suitability for irrigation at several locations, she said.She urged the Haryana govt to take concrete steps to prevent the discharge of industrial waste and contaminated water into the Ghaggar river.Selja said deteriorating air quality in Gurgaon, Faridabad and other Haryana cities showed that the problem was not confined to Delhi.She called for an immediate meeting of the Centre and govts of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab to formulate a time-bound action plan.The parliamentarian also demanded a public audit of expenditure on pollution control, accountability of negligent officials and weekly progress reports.
