Congressman Ajay Maken questions omission of air pollution hearing from Home Affairs panel’s agenda

Congress leader and panelist Ajay Maken. File | Photo credit: ANI

Questioning the decision of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs to drop “air pollution” in the National Capital Region (NCR) from the agenda of the November 17 session, Congress leader and panel member Ajay Maken, in a letter to panel chairman and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, urged him to “reconsider the health situation.”

The committee had earlier scheduled a hearing on the issue with the Union Home Ministry and other concerned agencies. The program aired on November 5 included a discussion on “Air Pollution in Delhi-NCR: Enforcement of Regulatory Measures, Effective Implementation of GRAP Measures, Protection of Vulnerable Sections and Coordination between Law Enforcement and Government Agencies”.

However, the revised program omitted this topic. “I would like to register my objection to the omission of the hearing on air pollution from the revised agenda for November 17, 2026. Given the urgency of the health risks, I request that this change be reconsidered and the hearing resumed on that date,” Mr Maken said in a letter to Mr Agarwal.

He first requested the air pollution review in a Nov. 2 letter to the committee chairman, Mr. Maken said. “The original public order dated November 5 scheduled a hearing with the Ministry of Interior and concerned authorities on November 17 at 2 p.m. The revised order dated November 6 omits this hearing. It gives no reason for this change,” he said.

Noting that no alternative date had been announced, Mr Maken asked for either a resumption of the November 17 hearing or a communication of the nearest possible date for discussion, along with an explanation of the change.

Describing Delhi’s air pollution as a “public health emergency”, Mr Maken said protection of vulnerable groups, enforcement and coordination between agencies required immediate attention.

“An immediate hearing would allow the committee to examine what the responsible agencies are doing, whether implementation is lagging and what immediate corrective measures are needed,” he said.

While noting that air pollution remains part of the committee’s annual agenda, Mr. Maken said the removal of the Nov. 17 hearing merited explanation. “His omission requires an explanation and a specific date for investigation,” he said.

Published – 10 Nov 2026 20:55 IST