Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reposted a six-year-old post to highlight the deteriorating air quality in Delhi, adding that it was "sadly still relevant".
In 2019, Tharoor shared an image that read, "Kab tak zindagi kaatoge cigarette, beedi, aur cigar mein… kuch din toh guzaro Delhi-NCR mein." (How long will you spend your life on cigarettes, bidis, and cigars? Spend a few days in Delhi-NCR instead.)
Resharing the same image, he wrote, "Six years of indifference later, this post remains sadly, frustratingly relevant still."
Earlier this week, Tharoor also shared a chart showing Delhi's AQI level in the hazardous zone. "Jaise jaise November ka mahina chadega, fefdo pe performance ka bojh badhega (As the month of November approaches, the burden on performance of lungs will also increase)," he wrote.
Delhi-NCR is currently reeling under a thick blanket of smog, with air pollution levels soaring to dangerous levels. As of 7 am on Saturday, the AQI in Delhi was recorded at 653, placing it in the "hazardous" category.
Adjoining cities also reported alarmingly high AQI levels. Noida recorded 503, while Gurgaon's AQI stood at 515, both falling in the "severe" category.
As the air pollution in Delhi worsened, hospitals have seen a rise in patients with breathing problems. Doctors say cases of bronchitis, asthma, and sinus infections have gone up by 22–25 per cent.
On Saturday, Karan Sharma, a local, told news agency ANI that the pollution levels had made it difficult to breathe and urged the government to take immediate action to address the worsening situation.
"The pollution is very high. We face difficulties in breathing. No action is being taken by the concerned departments. The government should pay attention to the issue," he said.
