Protesters at Jantar Mantar seek parliamentary committee on pollution

Many protestors called for the decentralisation of industries, pointing to Delhi’s many industrial areas as another contributing factor to the city’s pollution.

Students, citizens and environmental activists held a protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, demanding clean air as the air quality index (AQI) in the capital continues to worsen.

The protestors also stated other factors including,vehicular emissions, road dust, and unregulated construction for the pollution. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Protestors demanded for a parliamentary committee to be formed to combat air pollution, with an independent monitoring team.

“This protest is to draw attention to the issue of air pollution and to push the debate in parliament. The government’s efforts to reduce air pollution has failed. We have asked the ruling party and the leader of opposition in Parliament to form a joint committee to address the issue,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, an advocate for environmental rights and one of the organisers of the protest.

They also criticised the Supreme Court’s recent ruling which changed the definition of “Aravali Hill” and “Aravali Range”, stating that it would allow further mining in the region. “Trees are cut in the capital very often. The government is not focusing on air pollution, and not protecting trees and plants,” said Haripal Saghwan (60).

People also shared their ordeals through musical performances and speeches. The event began at 12:30 with a musical performance from a visual designer (26). “It was important for me to be here as pollution directly affects everyone. Music is a good medium to connect with people,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Protestors sang songs with lyrics describing problems faced due to air pollution and were seen holding placards saying, “The air is poisonous”, “Why is breathing a privilege” and “When the ridge falls, Delhi follows”.

Many protestors called for the decentralisation of industries, pointing to Delhi’s many industrial areas as another contributing factor to the city’s pollution. “I live in Bawana, where the pollution is always very high due to the nearby industries. Delhi has so many industrial areas and is also surrounded by industrial belts. The government should make sure that the industries are not clustered in one area, but rather spread across North India,” said Yogesh Kumar (39), a member of labour activism group, Inqalab Mazdoor Kendriya.

The protestors also stated other factors including,vehicular emissions, road dust, and unregulated construction for the pollution and accused the government of not doing enough to control these sources. Some were also seen wearing gas masks. “I am wearing this to send a message that once the AQI crosses 300, its not air pollution, its chemical and biological warfare, which this mask is used for. We are all also responsible for normalising this level of air pollution, but biologically you cannot get used to having toxins enter into your body,” said Jai Dhar Gupta (53), the founder of citizens group “right to breathe”.