India, Oct. 21 -- Delhi environment minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday said that people and neighbouring states share the blame for the alarming post-Diwali pollution levels in the capital, after air quality plunged into the "severe" category following widespread violation of firecracker restrictions.

"The AQI in Anand Vihar at around 5 a.m. was 943 and 390 in Shahdara. Only firecrackers are not responsible for pollution in Delhi. However, I believe people should have followed the Supreme Court's order to burst crackers before 10 p.m.," Sood said.

"Delhi has no weather of its own; many factors determine the weather and pollution levels here, and adjacent states also have a role to play," he added.

The minister's remarks came as Delhi woke...