As Delhi chokes after Diwali, Amitabh Kant slams SC ruling
What's the story
Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has expressed his displeasure with the Supreme Court's recent decision on firecracker use during Diwali. He argued that the court prioritized "the right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe." This comes as Delhi continues to grapple with a severe air quality crisis, with 36 out of 38 monitoring stations entering the "red zone" and AQI levels crossing 400 in critical areas.
Pollution comparison
Kant questions why pollution issue persists in Delhi
Kant also questioned why Delhi is still one of the world's most polluted capitals. He pointed out that other cities like Los Angeles, Beijing, and London have tackled similar issues successfully. "If Los Angeles, Beijing, and London can do it, why can't Delhi?" he asked. "Only ruthless and sustained execution can save Delhi from this health and environmental catastrophe," he suggested.
Pollution solutions
Kant lists measures to tackle air quality crisis
Kant has called for a unified action plan to tackle Delhi's air quality crisis. He suggested several measures, including ending crop and biomass burning, shutting or modernizing thermal power plants and brick kilns with cleaner technology, shifting all transport to electric by 2030, enforcing strict construction dust control, ensuring full waste segregation and processing, and redesigning Delhi around green living.
Post-Diwali pollution
Kant's remarks come as Delhi's AQI plummets
The Supreme Court had earlier lifted a ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, allowing the use of green crackers at allotted slots during Diwali. It had allowed the use of "green" firecrackers between 6:00am and 7:00am and 8:00pm and 10:00pm. However, celebrations continued beyond these hours. By 10:00pm on Diwali night, most monitoring stations recorded air quality in the 'red zone.' The following morning, the city's AQI plummeted to 451 at 7:00am, which is 1.8 times above the national average.