Rs 53 crore spent to publicise odd-even scheme in Delhi, had no impact: Minister as CAG report tabled in House

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on the Performance Audit of Prevention and Mitigation of Vehicular Air Pollution was tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday.

“The CAG report has revealed that the previous government compromised public health by failing to enforce pollution control measures effectively. Over 1.8 lakh unfit vehicles that exceeded permissible emission limits were still issued Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates. This blatant disregard for environmental regulations contributed significantly to rising air pollution levels in Delhi,” Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in the House.

Sirsa alleged that the previous government only spread false rumours. “Despite repeated announcements of ambitious projects such as monorail, light rail transit, and electric trolley buses, no tangible progress was made,” he said. He added that Rs 53 crore was spent on the publicity of the odd-even scheme, which “failed to achieve any substantial impact” on reducing vehicular pollution.

The CAG report also talks about the expenditure of Rs 22 crore on a smog tower, saying it had a negligible impact on pollution control.