Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha over air pollution

Members of Parliament (MPs) from BJP and Congress on Tuesday gave Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha over the issue of air pollution.

BJP lawmakers RK Sinha, Vijay Goel, GVL Narasimha Rao and Narendra Jadhav and Congress member KTS Tulsi have given Zero Hour notice in the matter in the Upper House of the Parliament.

The Zero Hour refers to the time immediately following the Question Hour in both the Houses of Parliament. During this hour, parliamentarians can raise matters of great importance without the mandatory ten days advance notice.

A discussion on air pollution and climate change is expected to take place in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday afternoon on the second day of the Parliament's winter session.

Congress MP Manish Tewari and BJD lawmaker Pinaki Misra are expected to initiate the discussion in the Lower House of the Parliament at around 2 pm.

The discussion assumes significance as Delhi and its adjoining regions have been battling severe pollution levels in the last few days mainly due to stubble burning by farmers in Haryana and Punjab. Air quality in the national capital deteriorates every winter owing to incidents of farm fires in the two states.

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index (AQI) read 212 ('poor' category), near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi today morning, as per the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).