Chief Minister Rekha Gupta claimed that her government put an end to open burning and bonfires, one of the major contributors to the city’s air pollution. | Photo Credit: File Photo
In a video message, Ms. Gupta listed several initiatives, including the introduction of a new Act to shield parents from exorbitant fees charged by private schools, free medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and the expansion of Atal Canteens that provide meals for ₹5. “Delhi faces numerous problems and legacy issues, all of which must be resolved in 2026. The year 2025 was about preparation and 2026 is about taking all these efforts to their destination,” the Chief Minister said.
She said the government had inaugurated Delhi’s first biogas plant and stressed the need to establish more such facilities. Noting that Delhi also requires dedicated e-waste management plants, Ms. Gupta said the process to establish them has already begun. Taking a dig at AAP, the Chief Minister asserted that Delhi’s landfills would be eliminated next year. “We must eliminate Delhi’s garbage mountains and work more effectively on this issue. To those who created these garbage mountains and now speak about their removal, I wish to say that in 2026, Delhi’s garbage mountains will be eliminated,” she said.
Ms. Gupta also claimed that her government had put an end to open burning and bonfires in the city, one of the major contributors to air pollution. The CM said the most noticeable change had been the initiation of end-to-end carpeting of roads and the introduction of new machinery for improved cleaning. “We put a stop to bonfires and open burning in Delhi and initiated many measures that are better for the environment,” she added.
‘Full of garbage’
The Chief Minister’s Office said that Ms. Gupta was informed that a capital expenditure plan of nearly ₹17,000 crore would be implemented over the next three years to meet Delhi’s rising power demands.
AAP’s Delhi State president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the government had done “no real work” since coming to power and its promises such as ₹2,500 per month for women and free LPG cylinders had turned out to be “jumlas” (empty promises). He claimed private school fees had risen despite the government’s assurances of regulation. “Delhi is full of garbage. The end-to-end carpeting project started by the AAP has been stalled… You are trapped by your own actions,” Mr. Bharadwaj said, accusing the government of “manipulating” pollution data, shutting down air quality index (AQI) monitoring stations during pollution spikes, and creating a “fake Yamuna” to “fool the entire country”.
Published – January 01, 2026 01:45 am IST
