Pollution data can’t be manipulated, stop ‘bothering’ people: CM to AAP

 New Delhi

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday told the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to stop “bothering” people with “nonsensical statements” after the Opposition party accused her government of manipulating air pollution data.

AAP had claimed that the government was artificially lowering air quality index (AQI) readings by spraying water around monitoring stations and shared videos purportedly shot near the Anand Vihar monitoring site to support its claim.

“There is something wrong with AAP’s thinking. If the AQI goes down, they say the data is fudged. If it increases, they ask why it is rising. It is not our job to respond to their nuisances. We are working honestly to address Delhi’s pollution problem,” Ms. Gupta told reporters on the sidelines of an event for retailers.

Claiming that pollution data cannot be manipulated, the Chief Minister said anyone can check the AQI of any location while standing there.

‘Misleading public’

Taking a jibe at the Opposition, Ms. Gupta said, “AAP is wondering how the results will be visible in just eight months of the BJP government. They are unemployed. They were singing songs the other day; they should continue doing that instead of bothering people. They will keep misleading the public and making nonsensical statements.”

The air quality in the national capital improved slightly, moving from the ‘very poor’ to the ‘poor’ category. However, it is expected to deteriorate again over the next few days, according to official forecasts. “The air quality is very likely to be in the poor category on October 31, 2025, and in the very poor category from November 1 to 3. The outlook for the subsequent six days indicates that the air quality is likely to remain in the very poor category,” said the Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.

At 4 p.m., Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 218 (‘poor’), down from 373 (‘very poor’) a day earlier, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The AQI scale categorises 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 as ‘moderate’, 201-300 as ‘poor’, 301-400 as ‘very poor’, and 401-500 as ‘severe’.(With PTI inputs)