Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: People in Delhi-NCR are grappling to breathe, but for the Parliamentarians, the issue is yet not on their priority list. On Thursday, the air pollution debate was scheduled in the Lok Sabha, but the Lower House was adjourned shortly after the passage of the G RAM G Bill amid uproar. Both the government and the Opposition accused each other of stalling proceedings of the Lok Sabha.

The Opposition alleged that the House was adjourned “without warning," ignoring the plan for the air pollution debate.

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No Debate Despite Parliament Notice

A notice of the Parliament showed that Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, DMK MP Kanimozhi and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj were scheduled to discuss the air pollution in Delhi-NCR today.

"Under Rule 193 in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, DMK MP Kanimozhi and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj to raise a discussion today on air pollution in Delhi-NCR," the notice read.

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Congress MP Tariq Anwar said, "This is very unfortunate. Not just in our country but across the world, India’s capital and our cities are being criticised because no city today is free from pollution. Pollution is present in all major cities across the country."

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said today there was supposed to be an important discussion on pollution, but the government did not allow that discussion.

"Whatever responsibility lies with the government, it should work on how to reduce pollution in Delhi-NCR, but the government appears to be shying away from discussing this important issue," she alleged.

SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, "Proper steps need to be taken to control pollution. The discussion on pollution is important, as for many years the farmers of Punjab have been defamed, being blamed for the rise in pollution in Delhi."

Treat Air Pollution As National Emergency: Congress MP

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Singh on Wednesday expressed serious concerns over air pollution in Delhi-NCR, and asked the government to treat the problem as a national emergency. Raising the matter during the Zero Hour in the House, the Congress member said the entire country is struggling to breathe. He said the Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas are suffocating, and the poisonous air is afflicting people with various diseases.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha today passed the Bill after heated discussion with the opposition demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to the Standing Committee, even as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly defended the Bill, calling it a decisive step towards achieving a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

(With agencies inputs)


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