Congress has once again attacked the Modi government regarding air pollution. National General Secretary of Congress Jairam Ramesh said that air pollution in India is no longer just a problem of some metros, but it has become a nationwide crisis, on which the government’s response is very weak and inadequate.
Citing the latest satellite-based research of the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Jairam Ramesh said that about 44 percent of the cities of the country are continuously in the grip of severe air pollution. According to the CREA report, annual levels of PM 2.5 have been consistently above national standards in 1,787 cities out of 4,041 cities in India during the last 5 years (2019-2024, excluding Covid year 2020). This means that almost half of the country’s urban India is forced to breathe poisonous air.
NCAP limited to only 130 cities
Despite such a widespread problem, the government’s National Clean Air Program (NCAP) is limited to only 130 cities. Of these, even Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) have not been installed in 28 cities yet. Of the 102 cities where monitoring is in place, PM10 levels have been recorded at 80 percent or more in 100 cities. Overall, NCAP is currently able to cover only 4 percent of seriously polluted cities in the country.
Jairam Ramesh taunted
Jairam Ramesh sarcastically said that what the government calls National Clean Air Programme, has now become “Notional Clean Air Programme”. He demanded a thorough review, restructuring and large-scale reform of NCAP. The Congress leader said that India’s current air quality standards are very weak. According to WHO, the 24-hour limit should be less than 15 micrograms and the annual limit should be less than 5 micrograms. That means India’s standards are many times behind international health standards.
Congress also demanded that FGD systems be mandatorily installed in all coal-based power plants by the end of 2026. The independence of the National Green Tribunal should be restored and the anti-people environmental amendments made in the last 10 years should be withdrawn.
read this also
Asaduddin Owaisi Statement: ‘This is not Pakistan nor a…’, Owaisi responded to the statement of Assam Chief Minister Himanta
