BJP's NCR moment: Show intent to address pollution

For decades, the conversation around Delhi's air pollution has been stuck in a predictable cycle of outrage, blame, and inaction.

- Bhavreen Kandhari

For decades, the conversation around Delhi's air pollution has been stuck in a predictable cycle of outrage, blame, and inaction. Every winter, as air quality plummets, state governments point fingers at one another, trading accusations instead of solutions. Delhi blames Haryana and Punjab for crop burning while neighbouring states blame Delhi for unchecked vehicular and industrial emissions. The Centre calls for coordination, yet year after year, the crisis has remained unresolved.

But for the first time in four decades, the political landscape has shifted in a way that removes all excuses. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now in power in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, the entire National Capital Region (NCR) is under a single party rule. This presents an unprecedented opportunity to tackle air pollution in a coordinated, comprehensive manner, if there is political will to do so.

Delhi's pollution problem is not confined to its borders. The Capital is part of a vast, interconnected airshed; a geographic region where air pollutants mix and disperse. Whether it's vehicular emissions from Gurugram, construction dust from Noida, or stubble burning in Haryana, pollutants do not respect state lines. The air in the NCR moves as one, and so must the policies that govern it.