New Delhi, Dec 15 (UNI) Amid worsening air quality in the national capital, Kanyakumari Lok Sabha MP Vijay Kumar alias Vijay Vasanth on Monday moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, demanding an immediate declaration of a national health emergency in Delhi-NCR as air pollution levels touched the “Severe Plus” category.
In his notice to the Speaker, Vijay Vasanth said the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR had surged to 461, posing what he described as a “direct and immediate threat to human life.”
“Delhi has effectively been turned into a gas chamber. Millions of citizens are being forced to inhale toxic air,” the MP said, adding that children, senior citizens, and people with pre-existing illnesses are bearing the brunt of the crisis.
Citing findings of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Vijay Vasanth flagged “recurring negligence and evident gaps” in road maintenance, dust mitigation, and waste management. He said dust-laden roads, construction debris, municipal waste, and open burning continued “unchecked,” worsening what he termed a “man-made disaster.”
Hospitals across Delhi-NCR are already witnessing a medical emergency, the MP said, noting a 25 per cent rise in respiratory patients in the last two days alone.
“Patients with asthma, COPD, and cardiac illnesses, including those earlier stabilised, are again reporting acute distress. Doctors have categorically warned that this is no longer merely an environmental issue but a full-scale public health emergency,” he stated.
Calling the situation a violation of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution, Vijay Vasanth said Parliament could not continue with business as usual when citizens were “struggling to breathe.”
“When the air itself becomes poisonous, the House cannot proceed with business as usual,” he said, urging the government to immediately declare a national health emergency, activate emergency health protocols, suspend non-essential polluting activities, and ensure accountability for administrative failures.
The Congress MP also sought the Speaker’s permission to allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak on the issue, stressing that the crisis was “not a routine seasonal phenomenon but a life-threatening emergency demanding an immediate national response.”
Delhi pollution: Congress MP Vijay Vasanth moves adjournment motion seeking national health emergency
