Ex-NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant criticizes the Supreme Court for allowing Diwali firecrackers, saying it prioritized celebration over public health such as right to live and breathe. Delhi’s air quality worsens, highlighting urgent need for strict pollution control measures.
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NEW DELHI: After a night of incessant firecracker bursting, the national capital woke up under a thick layer of smog. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a staggering 357, placing it firmly in the “very poor” category. In key areas, it even crossed 400, signaling a severe health emergency.
Amitabh Kant, Sherpa of the 2023 G20 Summit and former CEO of NITI Aayog, did not mince words. He described Delhi’s air quality as lying in “shambles” and warned that only “ruthless and sustained execution” of pollution control measures could save the city from a health and environmental catastrophe. Kant also criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the ban on firecrackers, saying the court had “prioritised the right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe.”
The Supreme Court allowed green crackers to be burst between 6–7 am and 8–10 pm on two days, aiming for a “balanced approach, taking into account the conflicting interests and permit in moderation, while not compromising the environmental concerns arising.” In practice, however, many areas of Delhi-NCR saw crackers going off well past midnight, worsening already poor air quality.
Debates on social media quickly emerged. Some blamed Diwali celebrations for the smog, while others highlighted stubble burning in neighboring states as the main culprit. In reality, both factors—along with vehicular emissions, construction dust, and industrial pollution—contribute to Delhi being among the world’s most polluted capitals.
Kant outlined an ambitious roadmap for saving Delhi’s air:
- “End crop and biomass burning, shut or modernise thermal power plants and brick kilns with cleaner tech.”
- “Shift all transport to electric by 2030.”
- “Enforce strict construction dust control, ensure full waste segregation and processing.”
- “Redesign Delhi around green, walkable, transit-focused living.”
“A unified action plan is vital – to end crop and biomass burning, shut or modernize thermal power plants and brick kilns with cleaner tech, shift all transport to electric by 2030, enforce strict construction dust control, ensure full waste segregation and processing, and redesign Delhi around green, walkable, transit-focused living.”
He emphasized,
“Only such decisive & relentless execution can restore the city’s blue skies and breathable air.”
Kant also challenged skeptics, asking,
“If Los Angeles, Beijing, and London can do it, why can’t Delhi?”