NEW DELHI: In the wake of Diwali celebrations that left capital gasping under a dense blanket of toxic smog, Amitabh Kant, former NITI Aayog CEO, took aim at the Supreme Court, saying it had chosen “the right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe.” The top court had earlier eased its restrictions to allow “green” firecrackers.
In a post on X, Kant suggested ruthless and sustained execution of plans to make the national capital pollution-free.
Bringing forth his suggestion for a unified action plan by drawing parallels to cities like Los Angeles, Beijing, and London, Kant urged to end crop and biomass burning, shutting down or modernization of thermal power plants and switching entire transportation services to electric mode in five years.
Kant’s social media post read, “Delhi’s air quality lies in shambles. The Supreme Court in its wisdom has prioritised the right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe.”