The air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category on Thursday but it could not stop visitors from thronging the lawns of India Gate.
For 32-year-old housewife Anu, visiting India Gate on her marriage anniversary was more important than battling the thick layer of toxic smog that shrouded the city. “Though the weather is not suitable and the pollution levels are high, we could not afford to waste this day by spending it at home,” said the Uttam Nagar resident.
Though the deteriorating air quality in the city forced the Delhi government to shut schools on Thursday and Friday, several schoolgoing children still ventured out to celebrate Children’s Day.
Urvashi Rajput of Bucket List, an NGO for underprivileged children,was seen accompanying around 20 children. Asked about the pollution risk, Ms. Rajput said, “This outing was planned almost one week ago on account of Children’s Day. We did not expect that the air quality would be this bad. It was too late to cancel the trip and the children were extremely excited... But we are heading back now as some of them have started complaining of discomfort.”
Highlighting the plight of students due to the high levels of pollution in the city, The Shri Ram School, in a series of tweets said, “While our political leaders continue to play the blame-game, children continue to choke inside this gas chamber city we all call ‘home’. They scream but their voices cannot be heard since they fall on deaf ears of those we’ve chosen to represent us.”
Manju Dikshit, a tutor based in Neb Sarai, said: “I have brought around 10 children here to celebrate Children’s Day. It was only after we stepped out that we realised that the situation was this bad. It was too late for us to head back and the children really wanted to come. I have decided to return earlier than we had planned,” said Ms. Dikshit.
