Union science and environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has been criticized on social media for claiming that the high pollution levels in the national capital are no cause for worry.
Harsh Vardhan has said there is no need to spread panic among the people over the present air pollution situation in Delhi, adding it is not like the Bhopal gas tragedy which was an “emergency”. The Delhi-NCR region has been under a thick blanket of smog over the last one week. Doctors have declared the situation as a ‘public health emergency’, while the government has taken a series of measures in view of high pollution levels.
“I am talking in practical terms. You see, what happened in Bhopal when there was a gas leak and hundreds of thousands of people fell acutely sick and had to be rushed to hospital. We call that an emergency situation where you have to panic and you have to see what you have to do. I am not saying we shouldn’t do anything about it (Delhi smog); everyone has to respond to what he is supposed to do. But there is no need to spread panic among the people,” the minister told News18.
People took to Twitter to criticise Harsh Vardhan’s statement
On Monday, the Supreme Court said that the Delhi's air pollution was an emergency-like situation and ordered the central government as well as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and its municipal corporations to respond to a petition on stubble burning and dust spread for quick action.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud heard lawyer RK Kapoor's submission on rising air pollution levels. It said there would not be any stay on pollution cases being heard in other courts.
On Tuesday, the NGT rapped the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government and asked what constitutes a health emergency according to them.
"Don't gift infected lungs to children. They have to wear masks to school. Measures should be applied automatically by the government after dangerous levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 persist for more than 48 hours."
"When reports have stated that two-wheelers are more polluting than four-wheelers, why do you intend to give arbitrary exemptions? Is this a joke? What does one stand to gain from this?" the tribunal said.
With PTI Inputs
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