Naming and shaming of invisible polluters

Every year there are visible polluters in our cities and towns. In the NCR, for instance, the smoke carried across from the fields in Punjab and Haryana, where crop waste is burnt, is a significant contributor to air pollution levels.

- RAJESH TALWAR

Pollutants are emitted by vehicular traffic, construction activities, smoke emitted by factories, and so on. There are, however, certain invisible polluters who need to be identified, named, and shamed. These are officials within the political and administrative machinery in central and state governments whose job is to minimize air pollution, but they add to the problem instead of minimizing it.

Not having enough money to tackle air pollution is a complaint often made, but the sad truth is that it is not even the case that state governments are spending the money that is being allotted to them by the centre for the express purpose of tackling air pollution. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report published in July 2024 revealed something shocking. A number of states and union territories spent only a fraction of the money allotted to them by the centre for this purpose. According to the report, Delhi spent only 29.5% of the funds allotted to it by the National Clean Air Programme from 2019 to 2024. Across party lines, there are a number of other states who have not spent the money just like Delhi.