Activists demand action against pollution

Raising concerns over Delhi’s deteriorating air quality, citizens, environmentalists and activists on Friday gathered at the Press Club of India and demanded urgent action from the Delhi Government to tackle the pollution crisis.

At a meeting organised to highlight the worsening situation, speakers accused the government of failing to address the root causes of air pollution and alleged that the authorities were more focused on manipulating data and shifting responsibility than taking concrete measures to improve air quality.

Moderating the meeting, AISA leader Anjali said, "The crisis of pollution is a crisis of political will. Our subsequent governments have shown that they have no will to act on pollution which results in deaths of mainly working class and poor families."

Environment activist Bhavreen Khandari alleged that government policies had overlooked major sources of pollution, including thermal power plants and waste-to-energy facilities. She said, "While the state policy completely ignored de-sulfurisation of thermal plants and emissions of waste-to-energy plants, they continue to police citizens because big business is interested in these commercial units. We have continued to work throughout the year demanding accountability, but to no avail."

AISA president Neha described the pollution crisis as an issue of public health and social inequality, criticising governments for engaging in a blame game instead of addressing the problem. She said, "The pollution crisis is a crisis of equity and crisis of public health. In 2022, 17 lakh common people lost their lives to air pollutants. And when we put this alarming data out, three state governments began a blame game on each other despite the double triple engine! When thousands came to the streets last year, Rekha Gupta realised that lip sevice must be paid year round. However, all that lip service is paid for by sick children and dying workers."

Environment researcher and activist Soutrik Goswami said vehicular and industrial emissions were among the major contributors to Delhi's poor air quality, but governments continued to shift the blame to farmers in neighbouring states. He said, "Vehicular and industrial pollution are the biggest cause of Delhi's pathetic air quality. However we see that governments continue to shift the blame on farmers from neighbouring states. We must say out loud: stop lying."

JNUSU vice-president K Gopika Babu questioned whether access to clean air was gradually becoming a privilege rather than a basic right. She said, "The most basic question we have to ask is whether breathing clean air will become a luxury in our city. Air purifiers, work from home and online teaching are all luxuries that save some while refraining from the broader question of justice and humanity."

The meeting concluded with a call for collective action against what the organisers described as the government's criminal negligence and complicity in worsening the public health crisis. The speakers demanded accountability and sustained measures to address the sources of pollution rather than relying on temporary interventions.