Aam Aadmi Party Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj and party workers staged a demonstration outside the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) office on Wednesday, alleging that Delhi’s AQI monitoring system was being manipulated and that the commission had failed to act on complaints.
The leaders arrived wearing black bands over their eyes and accused CAQM of ignoring alleged irregularities in air-quality readings. Bhardwaj said the commission’s chairman had not met the delegation despite a written complaint submitted 10 days earlier and a subsequent request for an appointment.
According to the report by Live Hindustan – NCR, Bhardwaj alleged that AQI monitoring stations were shut down during Diwali night last year and again this year, preventing the full extent of pollution caused by fireworks from being recorded. He said the matter had been raised before the Supreme Court last year and that the court had directed CAQM to file a status report.
Bhardwaj also alleged that water was being sprayed over AQI monitoring stations in pollution hotspots to affect readings. He specifically referred to areas such as Jahangirpuri and said the party had submitted video evidence in support of its complaint. The report does not include an independent assessment of the alleged videos or the monitoring data.
The AAP leader further claimed that new AQI stations were being installed in green areas and that the resulting readings were being used to lower Delhi’s overall air-quality index through what he described as a calculation-based manipulation. He called the alleged practice a fraud and said CAQM had not responded to the party’s written complaint.
CAQM is the statutory commission responsible for coordinating measures to prevent, control and reduce air pollution in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas. Its role includes coordinating with state governments and agencies on air-quality management. The allegations therefore centre not only on individual monitoring stations but also on the transparency of the data used to assess pollution and implement emergency measures.
Bhardwaj criticised the commission for not providing a meeting and said the delegation had gone to the office to seek an interaction rather than to stage a protest. He alleged that the gate was closed and that police were sent to detain the participants.
The supplied report does not carry a response from CAQM, the Delhi government, the agency responsible for operating the affected monitoring stations or the police. It also does not establish whether any AQI station was shut down, whether water was sprayed over a station, or whether recorded readings were altered. Those claims remain allegations made by the AAP delegation.
The immediate issue is whether CAQM will respond to the complaint, examine the evidence cited by the party and clarify the operational status and data collection procedures of AQI monitoring stations during high-pollution periods.
