As Delhi battles severe levels of air pollution, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has sparked a fresh debate on whether the city should continue to serve as India’s national capital.
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As Delhi battles severe levels of air pollution, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has sparked a fresh debate on whether the city should continue to serve as India’s national capital.
Taking to social media platform X, Tharoor criticised the government for failing to address the severe air pollution that has plagued Delhi for years.
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“Delhi is officially the most polluted city in the world, 4x Hazardous levels and nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka. It is unconscionable that our government has been witnessing this nightmare for years and does nothing about it,” he wrote on social media platform X.
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Tharoor further revealed that he had convened an Air Quality Round Table with experts and stakeholders since 2015, only to abandon it last year due to a lack of tangible progress.
“This city is essentially uninhabitable from November to January inclusive and barely livable the rest of the year. Should it even remain the nation’s capital?” he questioned.
The Congress leader’s remarks come amid a severe air quality crisis in Delhi.
Early Tuesday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital reached a hazardous level of 494, with most air quality monitoring stations recording readings of 490 or higher.
Toxic smog enveloped the city, disrupting both flight and train operations. More than 20 trains were delayed, and at least eight flights were diverted due to low visibility.
In response to the deteriorating conditions, Delhi LG VK Saxena announced staggered office timings to manage peak-hour traffic.
Schools and colleges have moved classes online, while the Delhi government imposed Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), banning older diesel vehicles and restricting the entry of non-essential trucks and light commercial vehicles into the city.
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