"Pollution is not a one-year problem, we are clearing 11 years of backlog": Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma

New Delhi [India], December 18 : Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma on Thursday said the current Delhi government (BJP) is tackling pollution and civic issues left behind by the previous Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal. He said the issues facing the national capital did not develop overnight but are the result of "11 years of neglect" by the AAP party.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Verma listed a wide range of civic and environmental works that he said should have been completed over the past decade, including removal of garbage dumps, repair of footpaths and parks, e-waste management, cleaning of the Yamuna, maintenance of drains, sewage treatment plants, water treatment facilities, plastic waste management, road cleaning, and implementation of an electric vehicle policy.
"All these works should have been done in 11 years. If even half of the work had been completed, we would only have had to finish the remaining part. But not even a single task was completed. Before we started working, less than five per cent of these projects had been executed," Verma said.
He said the current Delhi government was formed on February 20, 2025, and claimed that from the very next day, the Chief Minister, ministers and officials were on the ground addressing civic issues.
Verma added, "Ahead of the monsoon, major drains were cleaned and nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of waste were removed, helping prevent waterlogging at previously vulnerable locations, including Minto Bridge."
The minister said the government also ensured smooth arrangements during festivals such as Diwali, Chhath Puja, and Durga Puja, allowing residents to celebrate without disruption.
Accusing the ex-Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal, Verma added, "When we talk about pollution today, it is not a problem that has emerged in just one year. Pollution has been increasing in Delhi for years. If Arvind Kejriwal had done even a little work, we would only have had to complete what was left. Unfortunately, Kejriwal misled and deceived the people of Delhi, and the huge backlog of unfinished work is now troubling us."
"Under the guise of subsidies, he kept people distracted, creating spectacles and drama, while the actual groundwork that should have been done was ignored. The real work on the ground has been underway for only the past nine months," he added.
Responding to criticism by AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, Verma said that damaged roads and collapsed drains were not the result of the last nine months but of years of poor planning.
He added that of the 1,400 kilometres of roads under the Public Works Department, nearly 65,000 potholes have been repaired in the past nine months alone.
"The Delhi government is working in mission mode on pollution. Today, if anyone is completing the unfinished work of the past, it is this government," Verma further said.