‘SC prioritised crackers over right to live and breathe’: Amitabh Kant on post-Diwali Delhi AQI

Amitabh Kant urged to end crop and biomass burning, shutting down or modernisation of thermal power plants and switching entire transportation services to electric mode in five years.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | October 21, 2025 04:10 PM IST

3 min read

In a post on X, Kant suggested ruthless and sustained execution of plans to make Delhi pollution-free.

In the wake of Diwali celebrations that left Delhi-NCR gasping under a dense blanket of toxic smog, Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and 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 Delhi 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 modernisation of thermal power plants and switching entire transportation services to electric mode in five years.

Kant’s post read, “Delhi’s air quality lies in shambles: 36/38 monitoring stations have hit the ‘red zone,’ AQI is above 400 in key areas. The Hon. Supreme Court in its wisdom has prioritised the right to burn crackers over the right to live and breathe. Delhi remains among the world’s most polluted capital. If Los Angeles, Beijing, and London can do it, why can’t Delhi? Only ruthless and sustained execution can save Delhi from this health and environmental catastrophe.

A unified action plan is vital – to end crop and biomass burning, shut or modernise thermal power plants and brick kilns with cleaner tech, shift all transport to electric by 2030, enforce strict construction dust control, ensure full waste segregation and processing, and redesign Delhi around green, walkable, transit-focused living. Only such decisive & relentless execution can restore the city’s blue skies and breathable air.”

The pollution levels in Delhi surged heavily through Diwali night, with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) real-time data showing PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations breaching safe limits by 15 to 18 times across several stations.

At 11 pm, the AQI of Delhi stood at 347, in the ‘very poor’ category, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. It remained nearly unchanged, at 346 at 6 am Tuesday, and by 11 am it had reached 359.

According to CPCB data, Delhi’s air quality on Diwali this year (AQI 345) was worse than last year (328 in 2024), and higher than the previous two years — 218 in 2023 and 312 in 2022.

In its order permitting green crackers, the SC had directed the district administration and police to ensure that fireworks are restricted only to two time slots — 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm” on Chhoti Diwali (Sunday) Diwali (Monday). However, the direction was flouted widely, with violations being reported from across NCR. The Delhi Police are yet to disclose how many challans they issued for violations.

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Among the big concerns regarding allowing green crackers in Delhi-NCR were timing, weather and use of traditional crackers, which are more polluting than the ‘green’ versions, even though the latter still cause significant pollution.

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