You have police, why didn't you stop firecrackers: Gopal Rai questions BJP

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has accused Bharatiya Janata Party leaders of promoting the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali which led to an increase in pollution in the city.

Air quality in parts of the national capital continued in the 'Severe' category on Tuesday morning as the city woke up once again to smog that limited visibility.

"BJP is trying to hide its mistakes. I have heard the statements of many BJP leaders recently and all of them are trying to hush up their statements in different ways. There was no festival yesterday, so why were the firecrackers bursting yesterday? Where did they came from? A BJP leader said that the AAP government failed to stop firecrackers. You have Delhi Police. SC had imposed the ban, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana Police is in your hands, then who has failed? This means you wanted crackers to be burst," Gopal Rai said.

"Wind speed was expected to slow down after Diwali, and due to this smog situation has developed. After firecrackers were burst yesterday as well, pollution levels have gone up today as compared to yesterday" Gopal Rai added.

He further announced that the restrictions on private vehicles in Delhi will be continued further.

"We had decided yesterday that the rules of Grap-4 will still be applicable. The campaign of water sprinkling will start at 12 noon today. The dust particles must be suppressed. The ban on vehicles will continue for now," he added.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 9 am today in Delhi was at 361, which is considered 'Severe'.

The effects of the recent rain in the national capital wore off on Monday when the city recorded an AQI of 358 at 4 pm (an average of the past 24 hours), which falls under 'Very Poor' category after Diwali Sunday night.

The air quality soon dropped to 'Severe' category later in the afternoon, after which a haze engulfed the city making the visibility short.

Despite the Supreme Court's ban on firecrackers to mitigate pollution, people in several parts of the national capital flouted the ban by bursting fireworks.