Congress questions Modi over Delhi air pollution, demands action taken to be taken into account

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge. File | Photo credit: ANI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (Nov 10, 2026) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of taking incremental steps to tackle air pollution and asked why India is becoming a “Vishwaguru” in pollution.

Also read | Air pollution exceeds 66 times WHO limit in parts of Delhi as people defy Deepavali firecracker ban

In a post on X, Mr. Kharge asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi would give the country a report on the measures taken to ensure clean air.

The Congress president said the recurring pollution crisis in Delhi and the National Capital Region reflected the government’s failure to address the issue. “Trial measures, PR stunts, broken promises and blame games have become the BJP’s hallmark,” he said, adding that clean air is a fundamental right, not a privilege.

Smog surrounds cities after Deepavali as air quality plummets | In the pictures

A thick layer of toxic haze engulfs Delhi as people commute near the Rashtrapati Bhavan, shrouded in thick smog during the early morning hours of November 9, 2026, the day after Deepavali. The city’s 24-hour average AQI was 370, in the “very poor” category, at 9am.

People run near India Gate, shrouded in thick smog, as Delhi AQI touched 404 in the ‘severe’ category at 4 am on November 9, 2026, according to the CPCB live panel.

Burari Crossing recorded the highest AQI in Delhi on November 9, 2026 at 441, followed by Vivek Vihar at 437 and Delhi Technological University at 434. People walking near India Gate.

Following the CAQM decision, the third phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is in effect in Delhi and the adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. A view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, shrouded in thick smog during the early morning hours after the Deepavali night.

The Supreme Court allowed only green firecrackers in the specified time windows of November 7 and 8, 2026, but the more polluting traditional crackers were also available in Delhi markets.

People commute near Rashtrapati Bhavan, shrouded in thick smog. PM2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles of 2.5 micrometers or smaller that can get deep into the lungs and bloodstream and cause respiratory and other health problems.

Kherwadi-Bandra East in Mumbai recorded an AQI of 264 on 9 November 2026, followed by Sewri at 226, Ghatkopar at 221 and Chembur at 216. Byculla recorded an AQI of 193, Mindspace-Malad West 191, Kandivali at Worlim West 918 on 18 November. lowest at 96.

Chennai’s AQI slipped into the ‘poor’ category at 213 on the morning of November 9, 2026, according to CPCB’s Sameer app.

A private sensor at the home of weather blogger K. Srikanth in Chennai recorded an AQI of around 1,000 for nearly four hours between 18:00 and 22:00 on 8 November 2026. Chennai residents reported that smoke from firecrackers lingered in cramped residential communities, with visibility at one point so poor that people could barely see each other.

As of 9:00 AM on 9 November 2026, Manali Village recorded the highest AQI in Chennai at 296, followed by Arumbakkam at 265, Kodungaiyur at 215, Royapuram at 184 and Velachery Residential Area at 142.

Hyderabad woke up to a grey, smoggy morning on November 9, 2026 after Deepavali celebrations lasted till 3 am in localities like Banjara Hills, Panjagutta, SR Nagar, Ameerpet and Somajiguda.

Smog envelops the historic fort of Golconda. PM2.5 in Hyderabad reached 392 μg/m³ at 21:30 on November 8, 2026, with the city’s AQI averaging 509. Ravi Colony near Masjid Banda, Hyderabad recorded an AQI of 995 on November 8, 2026, when the average recorded was 1666 at 30:00 Seriling. 442.

Telangana Pollution Control Board monitors in Hyderabad were down as pollution rose on 8 November 2026, with the University of Hyderabad station offline till 10:00 pm. The data comes from publicly available monitors. Hyderabad’s AQI was still 178 on the morning of 9 November, with PM10 at 113 μg/m³.

A vendor walks amid a thick layer of smog near Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow (251), Amritsar (242), Jodhpur (234), Ahmedabad (230), Dehradun (228), Jaipur and Udaipur (223 each), Surat (207), Nagpur (239), Pune (221) and Bhopal (205) also recorded “poor” air quality on November 29.

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He claimed that PM2.5 readings had disappeared from 36 of Delhi’s 59 monitoring stations as pollution levels peaked this year. He also mentioned unspent environmental compensation collections of ₹ 1,154 crore and low utilization of funds under the National Clean Air Programme.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s direction to the BJP-controlled states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to submit replies and proposed measures to tackle pollution, Mr Kharge asked: “Does Modi dare to give the nation ‘Hawa Ka Hisaab’ (An Account of the Air)?”

“Spend the funds. Cut the emissions. Enforce the rules,” he said, calling for sustained action rather than repeated reassurances and recriminations.

Published – 10 Nov 2026 22:21 IST