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Opposition parties have criticised the Delhi government for reportedly spending large sums on air purifiers for its own offices while ordinary residents choke on hazardous air pollution in the Indian capital. Delhi’s local government – which is led by Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP – is said to have spent ₹545,000 (£5,200) for 15 “smart” air purifiers to be installed at the Delhi secretariat, according to a government document shared by opposition politician Mahua Moitra. The secretariat houses the most important offices and ministries of the local government. It comes at a time when the Indian authorities are facing criticism for allowing so-called “green” fireworks, or ones with slightly reduced emissions, to be used during the Diwali festival season, after several years of them being banned over air pollution concerns. Delhi sees a significant spike in air pollution each year as a result of Diwali fireworks, despite public awareness campaigns warning people about the health hazards. Ms Moitra, a lawmaker from the Trinamool Congress party, shared the document purportedly from the Public Work Department (PWD) on her X account and said: “Meanwhile Delhi government ordering 15 air purifiers for @gupta_rekha & team at tax payer’s money”, referring to Delhi’s chief minister Rekha Gupta. India’s top court allowed “limited” use of “green fireworks” this Diwali in what it called an attempt to balance cultural traditions with environmental concerns after years of an ineffective ban that most people violated. The window for bursting fireworks was set for a maximum of three hours each on 19 and 20 October, though this was widely flouted. Ms Gupta welcomed the court’s decision, saying it “honoured the sentiments of [the] people”. Ms Moitra’s tweet was followed by a large number of replies from other residents of the capital calling out what they said was the “hypocrisy” of the right-wing government, which had approached the Supreme Court to ask for the fireworks ban to be relaxed. “Can I order one for my living room with my tax money too? “ asked a user called Ankish. “Height of hypocrisy” wrote another user called Sarabjeet Singh. Another photo of Ms Gupta sitting with prime minister Narendra Modi also caught people’s attention, as an air purifier was spotted in the background. “Narendra Modi himself is sitting with the help of an Rs 14,000 (£118) air purifier. But those who don't have the money to buy clean air, how will they live?” Pawan Khera, a member of the Indian National Congress, the main national opposition party, asked on X in a post written in Hindi. Despite the brief court-appointed windows, fireworks could be heard across the city for days leading up to and after Diwali, with the city’s Air Quality Index crossing 1,300 in some areas, according to IQAir. Emissions from “green” crackers are supposedly 30 per cent to 50 per cent lower than conventional fireworks. Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category, with an overall AQI of 315 on Monday. Ashok Vihar recorded the highest reading at 416, followed by Goutampuri at 415 and Anand Vihar at 322, all classified as “severe”. Under India’s official air-quality scale, readings between 301 and 400 are deemed “very poor,” while those above 400 are “severe” and can cause respiratory illness even in healthy people. The World Health Organisation recommends a PM2.5 concentration below 15 micrograms per cubic metre. Delhi’s levels were more than 20 times higher this week. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into the lungs, risking deadly diseases and cardiac problems. Ms Gupta claimed the gap between pre- and post-Diwali AQI levels was narrower this year despite the use of fireworks. “Although permission was granted to burst firecrackers, the gap (AQI) between the dates of Diwali and the next day has decreased, indicating a decrease in pollution. The government is doing whatever is possible for Delhi," she said, according to news agency ANI. Yet opposition parties have also questioned whether the government can be trusted on such figures. One video posted from the city’s Anand Vihar area showed tankers spraying large volumes of water in the immediate vicinity of a pollution monitoring station. Saurabh Bharadwaj, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party which previously governed Delhi, shared the video accusing authorities of “manipulating AQI data in Delhi to fool Supreme Court of India”. He alleged that “the theft was caught red-handed, so the trucks fled.” He further claimed that “those who are committing this massive fraud are the same BJP people who now occupy positions in Delhi’s government, MCD, and the Central government,” and that “huge quantities of petrol and water are being wasted – not to reduce pollution, but only to show lower pollution figures”. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha also criticised the ruling party. “Pollute the air, dilute the data – hide the truth with water and mask the lie with make-up. This is the BJP’s pollution control model,” Mr Sisodia said. Mr Jha remarked: “To ‘reduce’ Delhi’s pollution, BJP government has unveiled a new ninja technique – washing data instead of cleaning air.” Delhi’s environment minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, called the claims “foolish” and “politically motivated”. “They are liars of the highest order,” Mr Sirsa said about the AAP leaders.
