New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS): The Delhi Congress on Friday slammed the Delhi government over the air pollution in the national capital saying that when will the government find a lasting solution to pollution in the city and also questioned it over the Chhath Puja devotees unable to take a holy dip in the turbid Yamuna.

Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said that it was the height of inefficiency and inaction by the Delhi government that lakhs of people from Poorvanchal, living in Delhi, would be forced to celebrate their most important religious festival, Chhath Puja, in the dirty Yamuna, and under an highly polluted air, as the concerned departments of the Delhi government had not taken any action to facilitate a smooth celebration of the festival, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing over 400.

Lovely thanked the L-G for accepting the Congress demand to declare Chhath Puja as a ‘Dry Day’.

“The Delhi government did not make any arrangement to ensure clean water in the Yamuna, by writing to the Haryana government to release fresh water into the river in advance,” the Congress Delhi Chief said.

He said that spraying chemicals into the Yamuna to control the poisonous white broth emanating from factory effluents and sewage discharged into the river will only make the purified water unfit for ablutions by devotees during Chhath Puja.

Lovely also said that the Delhi government took no step to clean and ready the over 1,000 Chhat Ghats in Delhi, leaving the responsibility to the Chhat Puja Samiti, which was facing severe funds crunch.

The Congress leader said that when the grand old party was in power, the Delhi government would start work on the Chhat Ghats well in advance to provide clean water and clean surroundings with tents and lights for the devotes to hold Chhath Puja in peace.

He said that during the “Nahay-Khay” festival, devotees were unable to take a holy dip in the Yamuna, nor the poor people are able to properly eat as the prices tomatoes are around Rs 70 per kg, which used to be Rs 20 per kg.

He also slammed the Railways for not running special trains for Poorvanchalis to travel to their native villages to celebrate the Chhath Puja as the central government has treated Poorvanchalis in a step-motherly manner.

He said that due to the highly polluted air and water in Delhi, most Poorvanchalis want to go to their villages to celebrate the Chhath Puja, but in the absence of special trains, most people would be forced to stay back in the polluted Delhi.