A month after an India Today investigation revealed extensive irregularities in Delhi’s Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification system. Saurabh Bharadwaj, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi leader, launched a sharp criticism of the current administration. He called it the “government of farzivada (forgery)” and accused it of manipulating data and processes to protect its narrative.
AAP Claims of Data Manipulation Beyond PUC Certificates
Bharadwaj claimed the alleged fraud went far beyond PUC certificates and pointed to a larger culture of data manipulation. “From fraud in AQI data to nakli yamuna, farzivada is visible at all levels,” he said, insisting the issue was institutional and not just isolated incidents. “There is a clear message from top to bottom to fudge data to save the Delhi government’s narrative,” he added.
According to Bharadwaj, the enforcement of pollution-related restrictions had turned into a breeding ground for corruption. He stated, “In the name of GRAP-IV restrictions, corruption is happening,” and noted that the high number of certificates issued in a short time raised serious questions about their authenticity. “It’s not practically possible to clear lacs of PUCC in such a short time,” he argued.
Corruption Allegations Under GRAP-IV Pollution Restrictions
He continued, “If you get a PUC for one lakh cars in three days, this means each car paid a fee of 100 to 500 rupees to get a PUC. Otherwise, at least half of the cars should have been turned away, informed that their PUC would not be issued until they fixed certain issues.”
He also questioned why there had been lax enforcement of PUC norms over time. “Why have so many people’s PUCs been pending? The traffic police have traffic rules in place to check the PUCs. This suggests it was deliberately neglected. Whether it’s PUC cases, AQI cases, or fake Yamuna cases, the overall fraud exists. In the name of GRAP-IV rules, bribery is happening directly.”
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