As Delhi continues to grapple with persistent ‘very poor’ air quality, students joined an anti-pollution protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, demanding urgent action to ensure clean air for the residents of the city.
Students from Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Jamia Millia Islamia took part in the demonstration led by members of the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
The protesters, with placards reading “Delhiites deserve an AQI below 50”, “Clean air is a fundamental right”, and “Everyone has the right to breathe” in their hands raised slogans against the government’s failure to contain air pollution in the national capital. Several local singers performed at the venue to motivate and energise the crowd.
Neha, 26, one of the protesters, noted that despite the BJP being in power both at the Centre and in the MCD, the authorities failed to bring pollution under control. “Earlier, there was always a blame game, but now there can’t be any excuse. There have even been reports of AQI data being manipulated, yet the figures fall in the ‘very poor’ category. Who knows what the real AQI is? We will continue to protest until effective measures are taken against air pollution. It’s our fundamental right,” she asserted.
Delhi’s air quality largely remained in the “very poor” to “severe” range since Diwali. According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 301-400 is classified as “very poor”, while 401-500 falls under the “severe” category.
The crisis has drawn the attention of both Parliament and the Supreme Court. On Monday, the apex court, stating that air pollution in Delhi-NCR cannot be treated as a “customary” seasonal issue, ordered that the matter be listed twice a month to monitor both short- and long-term solutions.
Chief Justice Surya Kant, sitting alongside Justice Joymalya Bagchi, challenged the long-standing belief that stubble burning is the main cause of air pollution, pointing out that skies stayed clear during the COVID-19 period even though stubble burning continued. In Parliament, citing data showing nearly one in seven residents is at risk of premature death due to pollution, YSRCP MP Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla called Delhi’s pollution levels a public health emergency. He pointed out that over 17,000 deaths last year were linked directly to toxic air.
Drawing a comparison with Visakhapatnam, where PM10 levels have increased by 32.7% over seven years, he flagged the inadequate use of funds under the National Clean Air Programme. “Unchecked air pollution costs India over 3% of its GDP each year,” he said, calling for stronger political will, accurate data, greater public awareness, and real-time governance.