Cong's 'White Paper' to combat pollution

Delhi has the right to breathe clean air but neither the Centre nor the Delhi government was"doing enough" to give the people that right, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said while launching a white paper on air pollution in the Capital.

The"White Paper on Air Pollution in Delhi" has been prepared by the Delhi chapter of All India Professionals' Congress (AIPC), which is headed by Shashi Tharoor. Interestingly, the cover of the white paper carried an image from the India - Sri Lanka Test cricket match, showing the visiting team standing in the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, wearing masks due to the air pollution.

Tharoor, also a Lok Sabha member, cited the instance of choking smog disrupting the third test between Sri Lanka and India, saying it showed the severity of the pollution situation in the city. The Thiruvananthapuram MP said that ensuring breathing of clean air was a"fundamental responsibility" of any government.

"Besides, I, in my capacity as an MP, had called a roundtable on the subject of pollution earlier this year and after deliberations, had sent a letter to the environment minister to take some concrete action or allocate budget for taking steps for addressing the issue," Tharoor said and alleged that "the government has not taken any action on it".

In the white paper, the AIPC has suggested various steps that can be taken to combat air pollution, which includes strengthening of public transport like the DTC bus fleet, use of electric buses, reduction in stubble burning, promotion of solar power. The AIPC is a political platform focused on the needs and aspirations of working professionals in the country, and to connect them to the development process of the country.