LS Speaker pulls up municipal bodies for skipping pollution meet

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday pulled up senior officials of the three municipal corporations in Delhi for skipping a crucial Parliamentary standing committee meeting that had been scheduled on November 15 to discuss the rising air pollution levels in the national capital.

Sources said Birla summoned senior officials of the three corporations to his chamber where he reprimanded them for their absence due to which the meeting had to be cancelled.

Commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Varsha Joshi, had told that she could not attend the meeting as she was in Lucknow attending a meeting on urban mobility scheduled months in advance.

"The Urban Mobility Conference is organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which was planned months in advance," Joshi had said.

Member of Parliament from East Delhi, Gautam Gambhir, was also conspicuous by his absence from the meeting along with the Vice-Chairman of DDA and the Secretary/Joint Secretary of Environment.

Only four out of the over 30 invitees were reportedly turned up for the meeting.

Gambhir had been trolled relentlessly on social media after photographs of him relishing 'jalebi' at a restaurant in Indore on the day of the meeting went viral on social media. Gambhir was in Indore as part of the commentary team for the first Test between India and Bangladesh.

"The agenda for Friday's meeting of the Parliamentary standing committee was circulated a week back, which clearly stated that the objective was to discuss air pollution in Delhi-NCR. However, East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir did not attend it," the Aam Aadmi Party had tweeted.

"Delhi is choking and Gambhir is busy enjoying in Indore," AAP had said.

( With inputs from IANS )