In an effort to publicly raise the issue of severe air pollution in Delhi and the adjoining areas, hundreds of protestors assembled in India Gate to demand immediate action from the authorities and appeal to the government to draw a plan to tackle the burgeoning crisis.
The demonstration comes a day after the national capital entered the red zone, with several areas recording air quality levels above 400, activists and protesters - joined by leaders from Opposition parties such as AAP and Congress - marched towards India Gate, demanding that the government formulate effective policies to combat air pollution in the national capital.
According to the initial reports from the protest venue ( India Gate), several protesters were detained after police, citing a Supreme Court order, stated that Jantar Mantar, not India Gate, is the designated site for protests.
"India Gate is not a protest site. The designated protest site in New Delhi is Jantar Mantar, as per the Supreme Court's directions... That is why we have advised everyone to follow the guidelines...," New Delhi's senior police official Devesh Kumar Mahla told news agency ANI.
Speaking to news agency PTI, environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said: "We want to meet the elected officials; we had asked for an appointment with the Chief Minister, but our request was refused. So many mothers and parents are deeply concerned because there’s a troubling narrative right now — nobody is wearing masks, as you can see. There are marathons being held, schools are conducting sports days, and yet there is no advisory in place. "
"We’ve reached severe and hazardous levels of pollution, but the GRAP measures have not been implemented. It feels like we are moving backwards. That’s our request — please, this is about our children. These are little children who are getting affected; every third child already has damaged lungs. My children will live ten years less than their cousins who breathe cleaner air. We still have hope, and that’s why we’re here — mostly mothers, concerned parents, and citizens. There’s no hidden agenda; we’re all just parents. Many people here are holding inhalers and nebulizers, showing prescriptions. These are our emotions, our pain." the environmentalist remarked.
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