'Sir, please excuse me for...' Kiran Bedi urges PM Modi to intervene as Delhi’s air quality worsens
PTC Web Desk: Former IPS officer and ex-Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally step in as Delhi continues to battle hazardous air pollution levels. Her request came on a day when several parts of the national capital reported an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 369, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.
Posting her message on X, Kiran Bedi urged the Prime Minister to address the pollution crisis in his upcoming ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast. She recalled his “highly effective” virtual meetings with officials during her tenure in Puducherry, noting how they helped achieve time-bound goals across various national challenges.
“Sir, please excuse me for making this plea again. I witnessed your impactful Zoom sessions in Puducherry, where you inspired everyone to work with deadlines and deliver on crucial tasks,” she wrote.
She appealed to PM Modi to convene virtual meetings every month with Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of Delhi’s neighbouring states to review progress on pollution-control measures. Such oversight, she said, would reassure citizens that the issue is being monitored at the highest level. She further asked the Prime Minister to use Mann Ki Baat to spread awareness across age groups about how individuals can contribute to reducing pollution.
“Delhi was expecting a ‘double engine’ effort to reverse the damage caused over the past decade,” she added.
The former top cop has been regularly posting about air quality concerns, calling for stronger inter-state cooperation. She emphasised that pollution is not incidental but the result of “years of inadequate coordination in governance”.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality has consistently remained in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ range for nearly two weeks, despite ongoing anti-pollution measures. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, the capital is likely to witness ‘very poor’ air quality in the coming week as well.
- With inputs from agencies
