Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog, has delivered a scathing critique of the country’s handling of Delhi’s worsening air pollution, calling the capital’s air quality “in shambles” and warning of a looming “health and environmental catastrophe.”
In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Kant said, “Delhi’s air quality lies in shambles: 36 of 38 monitoring stations have hit the red zone, with AQI above 400 in key areas. The Hon. Supreme Court, in its wisdom, has prioritised the right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe.”
His remarks come after the city woke up to a blanket of toxic smog following a night of widespread firecracker use despite restrictions. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 357, categorised as ‘very poor’, by 1 p.m. on Monday.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court lifted its previous ban on firecrackers, allowing residents to use “green crackers” during Diwali. The court said it sought a “balanced approach” that accommodated both environmental concerns and citizens’ rights. It permitted firecrackers to be burst only between 6–7 a.m. and 8–10 p.m. on two days. However, several parts of Delhi-NCR saw fireworks continuing well past midnight, further choking the already polluted air.
Drawing comparisons with global cities that once faced severe smog, Kant questioned, “If Los Angeles, Beijing, and London can do it, why can’t Delhi?” He argued that the capital needs “ruthless and sustained execution” of pollution-control measures to avert a full-blown crisis.
Kant also outlined what he described as a “unified action plan” to tackle the problem, one that includes ending crop and biomass burning, modernising or shutting down outdated thermal power plants and brick kilns, transitioning all transport to electric vehicles by 2030, enforcing strict dust control at construction sites, and redesigning Delhi for “green, walkable, transit-focused living.”
“Only such decisive and relentless execution can restore the city’s blue skies and breathable air,” he said, underscoring the urgency of collective action.
