Going round and round and reaching nowhere is a style that our governance systems are perfecting with rare zeal. The issue of Delhi’s air pollution is a case in point. For several years, the Centre and the state government of Delhi were seized of the problem occurring during the winter season. Delhi came up with the odd-even scheme for vehicles, many blamed farmers in the states of UP, Punjab and Haryana for the stubble burning after the harvest season, and then the Centre and Delhi government went into hibernation until the next winter. Now, with another winter setting in, the air quality index is again classified as Very Poor. The saga, thus, is unending – and rather worsening by the year.
On orders from the Supreme Court, the Centre held a meeting with the four states on Tuesday to take matters forward. Notably, the Supreme Court and central government has realised that stubble burning is not the main cause of air pollution in Delhi. It contributed to only 10 percent of the pollution while three main contributors to the present situation were dust, industry and transport – together accounting for 76 per cent. By now, remedial steps have acquired more urgency. A reason why the Delhi government has stated it is ready to declare a lockdown and issued an advisory to office-goers to shift to work-from-home mode so that less vehicles and air-conditioners will be switched on.
A matter of priority is that a sense of seriousness needs to be injected into the minds of those who govern the nation. In the absence of this, whether it be the UPA or the NDA, the end result is that the nation is being let down on most fronts. The problem in relation to air pollution in Delhi, or pollution of water bodies across the nation, must be seen from two angles. One, the sway of vehicle-culture, developed in the last two decades. The vehicle density on the roads in Delhi is the highest. Not so with Mumbai, the nation’s main industrial hub, where local trains are the main mode of public transport. Despite the belated introduction of the Delhi Metro, it has its limitations. Almost everyone in Delhi wants to drive or ride a vehicle. Add to this the problem of lack of coordination between Centre and states. The Centre fails to hold – more so when the leadership there is weak. Indira Gandhi had the grit and determination to impose her will on the nation. The same thing cannot be said about weaklings who sat in the chair thereafter.
