New Delhi: Congress leader Manickam Tagore has formally submitted an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, urging the Speaker to admit it for discussion on the spiralling air pollution crisis in the Delhi-NCR region and to seek a declaration of a national public health emergency. 

The move comes as air quality in the capital reached dangerously high levels this season, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 461 — classified in the “severe plus” category.

In the notice, Tagore underscored what he described as persistent negligence by authorities in tackling pollution sources — highlighting “gaps in road maintenance and dust mitigation, accumulation of municipal and construction waste, and instances of open burning” that have contributed to hazardous air quality.

He also sought permission for the Leader of the Opposition to address the House on this crisis under the motion.  The adjournment motion follows tightened concerns across Parliament over rising health risks from toxic air.

Congress leaders have accused the government of deploying cosmetic measures and “managing the data rather than the pollution itself,” alleging attempts to manipulate AQI figures at monitoring stations.

Tagore and others stressed that the impact of polluted air is not just an environmental issue but a public health catastrophe, particularly for children, the elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions.

The issue has gained traction across party lines, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also pressing for a comprehensive debate on air pollution — a request that government representatives have signalled willingness to entertain in Parliament.

Delhi-NCR residents have endured thick smog and drastically reduced visibility in recent days, with airport operations issuing advisories due to hazardous conditions.

Dense pollution has disrupted daily life and highlighted long-standing concerns about industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, crop residue burning in neighbouring states, and other sources that historically push the region’s air quality into hazardous zones during winter months.

As the Lok Sabha prepares to consider the adjournment motion, attention is now on whether the central government will agree to a debate on declaring a national public health emergency — a step that would signal a significant escalation in the political response to India’s most persistent urban environmental crisis.