DUSU President Rocky Tusheed appeals for Suspension of Classes amid Pollution

Rocky Tuseed, the President of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), appealed to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi (DU) to suspend all classes till Sunday in the wake of alarming levels of pollution in Delhi.

In a letter to Mr. Yogesh Tyagi, Tuseed expressed concern over the effect of the pollution on the health of the students, especially as the semester examinations are about to begin. He also referred to the Lt. Governor’s order that demanded restricted entry of trucks, cessation of all construction activity, and the shutdown of schools in the city till Sunday, saying that a similar order needs to be in place for the DU students. A request for a joint meeting of the administration and the student body was also made in the letter.

Pollution has hit a record high of 478 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi. The return of the odd-even scheme is also being contemplated by the state government, which was to be resumed only if the AQI exceeded 500 points. However, the severity of the current situation has prompted the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to advice the government to re-start the scheme. So far, the call by the Indian Medical Association to declare a public health emergency has also been resisted, despite the problems caused by the smog in terms of vision and respiratory issues.

It is absolutely imperative that keeping these short-term fixes aside long-term policy actions are taken by the government to improve the state of the city’s air. The general public needs to give its full and unequivocal support towards making the city better for all of us to live in. It is truly infuriating that it has taken a crisis of such a scale for people to realise that the environment we live in needn’t be annihilated for satisfying human greed.

Image Caption: Record high levels of pollution have already led to the shutdown of schools.

News Credit : DU Beat

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