India, Dec. 16 -- Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said it was "impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in nine to 10 months," as he apologised to residents for the city's persistent air pollution while blaming the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the crisis.

Sirsa said the current government had inherited a "disease of pollution" and was working daily to address it.

"I apologise for the pollution in Delhi. We are doing better work than the dishonest AAP government, and we have reduced AQI each day," he said, adding that the deterioration in air quality could not be reversed in such a short period.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in New Delhi was recorded at 354 around 4 pm, according to ...