As Delhi battles toxic air, smog tower in Connaught Place 'non-operational'

The facility was inaugurated by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in August 2021 amid much fanfare.

The ₹23 crore-smog tower in Delhi's Connaught Place, inaugurated by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in August 2021 amid much fanfare, has gone ‘missing’ at a time when the national capital and its neighbouring areas are battling ‘severe’ air pollution.

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The smog tower behind locked gates (ANI)

Visuals by news agency ANI on Friday showed the tower, now non-functional, behind locked gates.

The closure of the smog tower could be due to a suggestion by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) which wrote to the Delhi government's environment ministry in October, noting that the body's two-year-assessment of the facility has concluded that the reduction in particulate matter was only around 12-13% at a distance of 100 metres from the tower.

Also, the facility has been lying defunct for the past seven months.

Meanwhile, residents of the national capital again woke up to a thick layer of smog on Friday; according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the national capital's air quality index (AQI) has deteriorated to ‘severe.’ On Thursday, the Delhi government ordered closure of all primary schools for Friday and Saturday, and curbs are already in place in the National Capital Region (NCR), which includes Delhi.