Delhi: Students, citizens protest pollution crisis, demand clean air

New Delhi: Scores of people gathered at the Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday demanding clean air in the national capital, as the city continued to reel under prolonged "very poor" air quality.

Students from Delhi University, JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia joined the demonstration, along with members of the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI). Protesters held placards reading "Delhiites deserve AQI less than 50", "Clean air is a fundamental right" and "All have the right to breathe".

Several local singers also performed at the venue to encourage the crowd.

Neha, 26, one of the protesters, alleged that despite the BJP being in power at the Centre and in the MCD, the authorities had failed to curb pollution.

"Earlier, there used to be a blame game, but now there are no excuses. There have been reports of manipulation of AQI data, still the numbers remain in the very poor category. Who knows what the real AQI is? We will keep protesting unless major steps are taken. This is a matter of our fundamental right," she said.

Delhi's air quality has largely remained in the "very poor" to "severe" range since Diwali. As per CPCB norms, an AQI between 301 and 400 is considered "very poor" and 401 to 500 "severe".

The pollution crisis has drawn attention from both the Parliament and the Supreme Court.

On Monday, the apex court said air pollution in Delhi-NCR cannot be treated as a "customary" seasonal matter and directed that the issue be listed twice a month for monitoring short and long-term solutions.

Chief Justice Surya Kant, sitting with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, also questioned the long-held assumption that stubble burning is the primary cause, noting that skies remained clear during the COVID-19 period despite continued stubble burning.

In Parliament, YSRCP MP Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla described Delhi's pollution levels as a public health emergency, citing data that nearly one in seven residents faces the risk of premature death due to pollution.

He said over 17,000 deaths last year were linked directly to toxic air.

Drawing a parallel with Visakhapatnam, where PM10 levels have risen 32.7 per cent in seven years, he criticised poor utilisation of funds under the National Clean Air Programme.

"Unchecked air pollution costs India more than 3 per cent of its GDP annually," he said, urging stronger political will, accurate data, public awareness and real-time governance.