India’s Delhi to install air purifiers in 10,000 classrooms as pollution levels climb

NEW DELHI - As pollution levels climb in the national capital, the Delhi government on Dec 19 announced a plan to install air purifiers in government school classrooms, while launching a fresh political attack on the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration over its handling of the air quality crisis.

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said the government would float a tender in the first phase to install air purifiers in 10,000 classrooms across government schools, stressing that children’s health would not be compromised.

Speaking to the media, Mr Sood said the initiative is aimed at ensuring a healthier learning environment amid persistent pollution concerns.

“Along with smart classes, children will now get ‘pure air’. In the coming phases, air purifiers will be installed in every classroom of Delhi government schools in a phased manner,” he said, adding that the government was determined not to “play with our children’s health”.

Pollution not seasonal, Delhi affected by regional factors: Sood

Underlining the broader context of Delhi’s air crisis, Mr Sood said pollution in the capital is not confined to a particular season or a few months.

“This is not a seasonal or a 10-month issue. Delhi does not have its own weather. When there is snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, cold increases here, and when there is a dust storm in Rajasthan, Delhi also gets affected,” he said.

Later, Mr Sood sharpened his criticism of the previous AAP government, alleging that air pollution was used as a political tool instead of being addressed through long-term structural measures.

“Delhi pollution is not a seasonal issue, or an issue that has taken root in the national capital in the last 10 months. A large part of Delhi’s pollution comes from the surrounding states. We don’t have any control over the weather,” he said.

‘AQI stations placed to clear statistics, not air’

Responding to allegations around the placement of air quality monitoring stations, Mr Sood said claims that AQI metres were deliberately installed in green belts were misleading and selective.

Referring to the 2017 to 2018 period, he said 20 monitoring stations were added to what he described as the “Green 20” list, including locations such as Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Asola Wildlife Sanctuary, rural Alipur, a college campus in Nehru Nagar and the rural belt of Najafgarh.

“Out of these 20 stations, 30 per cent were installed in green belts, because they did not want to clear the air; they wanted to clear the statistics,” he alleged.

Mr Sood also cited findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to question the credibility of air quality data generated in the past.

“The CAG report says the location of CAAQMS (Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations) did not fulfil the requirement laid down by CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), indicating possible inaccuracies in the data generated by them, rendering the AQI values unreliable,” he said.

Odd-even, traffic advisories were ‘PR exercises’, says Sood

Targeting former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Sood said earlier governments relied on publicity-oriented steps rather than durable reforms.

“Some unemployed leaders were recently saying that Arvind Kejriwal had introduced a very scientific method. What did he introduce? Odd-even,” he said, adding that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had reprimanded the Delhi government over its repeated use of the scheme.

“The NGT said, ‘You had 100 suggestions, but you always choose odd-even’,” he added.

He also dismissed measures such as asking motorists to switch off engines at traffic signals, calling them superficial responses to a complex problem.

“Delhi pollution has always been a PR activity for them to secure their political ground. We don’t want to politicise the air our children breathe,” Mr Sood said.

Transport, waste management gaps flagged

Mr Sood alleged that previous administrations failed to address core infrastructure issues linked to pollution, particularly public transport, waste management and dust control.

“If they had the right intention, they should have fixed Delhi’s transport and waste management,” he said, claiming that no serious effort was made to improve last-mile connectivity.

He further alleged that hurdles were created in central government projects aimed at strengthening public transport, including the Regional Rapid Transit System and Delhi Metro expansions.

“They did not have money to fix the public transport system, but had money for advertisements. This is not my accusation, but the Supreme Court’s statement,” Mr Sood said. THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK