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Postpone Delhi Half Marathon: IMA

the Delhi Half Marathon after terming the air quality of the national capital as "poor" and "unsafe"

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The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged the Delhi High Court on Tuesday to pass necessary directions to postpone the Delhi Half Marathon after terming the air quality of the national capital as "poor" and "unsafe".

A bench of Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva took note of the present air pollution and the urgency surrounding it. It issued notices to the Delhi government, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), organisers of the event and the Delhi police seeking their reply by November 6.

The court's direction come on a letter written by the IMA to the Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking them to postpone the marathon scheduled on November 19.

"The air quality is particularly poor in the early morning when pollution is extremely high. This is also the time when the proposed Half Marathon is scheduled to start. The hazardous pollution levels may have disastrous health consequences, even for the healthy participants," Dr KK Aggarwal, IMA President, wrote in the letter.

The letter was moved in the main PIL initiated by the high court to address the air pollution problems of Delhi and in which it has been issuing directions from time to time.

On November 9, the Delhi High Court had issued a slew of measures to improve the worse air quality in the Capital. These included cloud seeding to produce artificial rainfall.

Following the letter, the organisers of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon had said on Saturday the call for cancellation of the November 19 run is "shortsighted" and asserted they have support of international athletes despite the prevailing pollution in the city.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi has ranged from "very unhealthy" to "hazardous". The levels have crossed the 300 'danger' mark in several parts of the city.

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