There will be a detailed discussion in Parliament on Thursday on the increasing air pollution crisis in Delhi and surrounding areas. After continuous questions from opposition members, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav will answer questions, objections and suggestions in the Lok Sabha at 5 pm.
Pollution echoed in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Many MPs questioned the Centre’s strategy to deal with hazardous air quality. DMK MP Kanimozhi asked whether funds were being allocated to install air purifiers on a large scale in seriously polluted areas.
‘Air pollution is a big problem’
Responding in the debate, Bhupendra Yadav said, ‘Air pollution is a big problem. I agree.’ He appealed to the citizens to be aware of the AQI readings and said that the government is working on both awareness and enforcement. Under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP), work to improve air quality is going on in 130 cities of the country.
Yadav talked about issuing guidelines to reduce industrial emissions and filling enforcement gaps.
Emphasis on urban bodies
related news
Bhupendra Yadav clarified that the main responsibility of implementing the rules on the ground lies with the urban local bodies. On the Centre’s demand for direct intervention in more cities, the Minister said that the Center is focusing on empowering the local bodies.
On construction-related pollution, the Union Minister said that new rules of Construction and Demolition Regulations have been implemented from April 2, 2025. Anti-smog guns are now mandatory for projects larger than 20,000 square metres. Apart from this, the Center has advised the Delhi Government to create a specific zone for demolition and construction waste, so that the management can be better.
‘Poisonous Gas Chamber Delhi’
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari described Delhi as a poisonous gas chamber, but the minister said that pollution is worrying, but there has been improvement in comparison to previous years. There were only three days of “severe” AQI this season, compared to 12 last year. Continuous monitoring is going on.
The air quality in Delhi remained in ‘very poor’ category on Wednesday. The city’s average AQI was recorded at 334 at 4 pm, which is slightly better than Tuesday’s 354.
Forecasts suggest that there will be no major change in the situation for the next six days and the air will remain in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category. In the discussion to be held in the Lok Sabha today, opposition MPs will focus on installing air purifiers on a large scale and fixing accountability for the current policies of the government.
—- End —-
