‘So what if pollution has increased?’ It would eventually subside, says Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI — Even as residents of the national capital and its surrounding areas struggled to breathe through a thick post-Diwali smog, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath questioned why critics focused on festival celebrations but remained silent about corruption, which he said had “polluted the entire system”.
Speaking at a government programme in Lucknow on Wednesday, Adityanath defended the use of firecrackers, saying his government had not imposed restrictions on Diwali celebrations and had allowed people to celebrate freely.
“Some people are saying that pollution has increased because of Diwali. So what if it has increased? It will subside as well. Why are you worried?” he said.
“Those who have polluted the entire system through their corrupt deeds are not questioned. But if the public bursts firecrackers and celebrates with fireworks for one day, suddenly pollution becomes an issue,” he added.
“It is good that people celebrated Diwali with ‘dhoom-dhadaka’ and burst crackers. We decided not to impose any prohibitions. I, too, was in the middle of fireworks in Ayodhya.”
Diwali fell on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years that day. Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) on Diwali day was 376, in the ‘Very Poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It was the highest Diwali-day AQI since 2021, when it was 382.
The opposition Aam Aadmi Party accused the Delhi government of “data fraud” and manipulating readings, a charge that added to concerns about the completeness of the official record.
By Tuesday, Delhi’s AQI had improved marginally to 299, moving from ‘Very Poor’ to ‘Poor’ on CPCB data, helped by increased wind speed.
The deterioration was not limited to Delhi. In Uttar Pradesh, a day after Diwali, Anpara recorded the highest AQI among listed UP locations at 355, followed by Noida at 332, Khurja at 331 and Ghaziabad at 324. Baghpat (305), Gajraula (304) and Bulandshahr (303) also fell in the ‘Very Poor’ category. Several other cities remained in the ‘Poor’ category: Varanasi 274, Meerut 269, Gorakhpur 261, Lucknow 245 and Prayagraj 241.
Fog compounded the problem. Visibility dropped to zero in Varanasi, 100 metres in Bareilly and 300 metres in Lucknow on Monday.
Lucknow saw some improvement by Tuesday, with its AQI falling from 245 to 172, according to reports citing PTI data.
SC Guidelines Ignored
The Supreme Court had permitted only certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, and only between 6 am-7 am and 8 pm-10 pm on 7 and 8 November. The permission ended on Sunday, with a complete ban resuming on Monday. Reports said fireworks continued well past the permitted hours on Diwali night.
What the pollution means for health? PM2.5 — fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream — was the dominant pollutant. Doctors warned that exposure could have both short-term and long-term consequences, particularly for children, the elderly, and people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Adityanath on Festivals
Referring to the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, along with Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj, Adityanath said festivals were now being celebrated peacefully across Uttar Pradesh. He also criticised those raising concerns about pollution during festivals, saying they did not speak up when corruption allegedly damaged public institutions.
Adityanath compared the current situation with the period before 2017, when the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh. He claimed that festivals were frequently accompanied by communal tensions and riots under previous governments.
“Before 2017, whenever any festival approached, be it Holi, Diwali, Vijayadashami, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Christmas, Eid, Guru Parv or Makar Sankranti, riots would begin. Every person felt insecure,” he said.
He further claimed that Uttar Pradesh had witnessed no curfew or riots over the past nine-and-a-half years. According to him, curfews under previous governments had forced markets to shut, affecting traders and leaving their goods unsold.
“Over the last nine-and-a-half years, there has been no curfew and no riot in Uttar Pradesh. No curfew, no riots, and everything is thriving in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
The government programme was organised to distribute appointment letters to 1,146 newly selected junior assistants in the Revenue Department.
The event also saw the release of financial assistance for 4,300 beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana, a scheme that provides support to families of farmers in cases of accidental death or disability.
