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The headline for this week’s National Interest is inspired by Raj Kapoor’s Bobby (1973). Dimple Kapadia pleads with Rishi Kapoor in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice: "mujhe kuchch kehna hai” (I must tell you something). And Rishi Kapoor responds, “mujhe bhi kuchch kehna hai” (even I must tell you something). It tugs at your heart-strings as teenagers bare their love in Anand Bakshi’s subtle lyrics.
There is, however, nothing subtle about the phenomenon we are analysing, by twisting these famous lines, replacing “kehna” with “karna”. So when faced with a serious crisis, even a grave national emergency like North India’s murderous air quality, our response usually is, echoing Dimple, “mujhe kuchch karna hai” (I must do something about this). The rest of us in the larger governance elite, judiciary, activists, media and, smartest of all the politicians then become Rishi Kapoor’s: “mujhe bhi kuchch karna hai”.
Everybody then does her “something,” salves her conscience, media conjures up glorious headlines and talking heads declare victory. Google and check how many times, especially in Diwali-winter months, drastic, one-shot solutions have been announced and hailed as a brave death-blow to smog. There is no effort to research and address the larger problem. It takes too long, real solutions aren’t sexy. They require too much time, and onerous hard work. Yet, you can’t be seen to be doing nothing about this emergency. So let’s at least do “something”. No harm if it gives me an opportunity to ride my own pet hobby-horse. Or slay my own favourite demon. Because when I have done my something, my responsibility is over. You can, meanwhile, buy that air-purifier (that costs more than an air-conditioner) and keep that steroid inhaler handy. And if you can’t afford these gasp, and pray.
This is a quick recounting of some headline-grabbing things our champion smog-slayers have done in the last many years. Somebody has banned all vehicles beyond a certain age in the capital, another has cracked down on diesel, a pollution tax has been levied on heavy trucks entering the city, work-stoppage has been ordered at construction sites on a whim, water-spraying ordered, household summarily fined (Rs 50,000 no less) for leaving debris on the kerbside, an even-odd scheme has been implemented with endless fanfare on TV channels, sponsored by air-purifier brands, now crackers have been banned. How much better is our air quality as a result, check the readings on your air filter.
There is no doubt that the activist-judiciary complex that rose in mid-90s, the years of Supreme Court’s Mr Justice “Environment” Kuldip Singh and PIL warrior M C Mehta has made a real contribution. Its high point was the successful shifting of the capital’s public and commercial transport to CNG. It brought about a phenomenal improvement in air quality. But this benefit peaked a decade back.
Much that has followed since then is gimmicky, thoughtless, arrogant, dictatorial. Something on the lines of: we, the activists, judges, friends in the media, and know what is best for you. So we order, and you follow. On fear of contempt of court. Ask no questions, seek no accountability. Meanwhile, also learn to nebulise your children.
Delhi’s air is a desperate problem, but some of the solutions have been too desperate and unthinking. The overnight shifting of all of Delhi’s cottage industry to outlying areas like Bawana with no time, patience or commitment to build infrastructure, physical or human. Industry and jobs were moved out before public transport and housing could fetch up, so the result was job losses, spawning of new slums and illegal housing sprawls built by land-grab mafias and simply shifting the capital’s pollution from its relatively core areas to the outskirts. There was insufficient thought to the kind of industry Delhi should have and on a policy to move in that direction. Funny,the belief that one privileged community can load its pollution on a lesser one. That poison-laden air does not respect municipal or even national boundaries was a lesson we were taught by the father of modern environmental activism Lester Brown in his bible on the issue, World Without Borders, published in 1972.
In 2015 AAP, a party of former activists took power in Delhi. It was quick to see the opportunity to shift from its old anti-corruption agenda to anti-pollution and took gimmickry to another plane altogether. I have compiled the following facts with the help of my colleague Rajgopal Singh.
First, it announced the so-called even/odd scheme which made no difference to air quality. Then followed the promise of installation of five giant air purifiers, a mist fountain and a virtual chimney in the most polluted areas. It was even done on “trial basis” in October 2016. There were other promises: mechanised, vacuum-sweeping of Delhi’s roads to reduce dust, our nastiest lung-destroyer. Spotted one of those lately?
The EPCA, Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal meanwhile kept doing their own thing, passing so many orders on vehicles and fuels that you’d need to call McKinsey to make sense of these. A reading of the comprehensive EPCA report (Click here to read it) submitted to Supreme Court on February 1 this year is revealing, especially the section on status report on implementation of SC orders (page 14-20).
There is, however, nothing subtle about the phenomenon we are analysing, by twisting these famous lines, replacing “kehna” with “karna”. So when faced with a serious crisis, even a grave national emergency like North India’s murderous air quality, our response usually is, echoing Dimple, “mujhe kuchch karna hai” (I must do something about this). The rest of us in the larger governance elite, judiciary, activists, media and, smartest of all the politicians then become Rishi Kapoor’s: “mujhe bhi kuchch karna hai”.
Everybody then does her “something,” salves her conscience, media conjures up glorious headlines and talking heads declare victory. Google and check how many times, especially in Diwali-winter months, drastic, one-shot solutions have been announced and hailed as a brave death-blow to smog. There is no effort to research and address the larger problem. It takes too long, real solutions aren’t sexy. They require too much time, and onerous hard work. Yet, you can’t be seen to be doing nothing about this emergency. So let’s at least do “something”. No harm if it gives me an opportunity to ride my own pet hobby-horse. Or slay my own favourite demon. Because when I have done my something, my responsibility is over. You can, meanwhile, buy that air-purifier (that costs more than an air-conditioner) and keep that steroid inhaler handy. And if you can’t afford these gasp, and pray.
This is a quick recounting of some headline-grabbing things our champion smog-slayers have done in the last many years. Somebody has banned all vehicles beyond a certain age in the capital, another has cracked down on diesel, a pollution tax has been levied on heavy trucks entering the city, work-stoppage has been ordered at construction sites on a whim, water-spraying ordered, household summarily fined (Rs 50,000 no less) for leaving debris on the kerbside, an even-odd scheme has been implemented with endless fanfare on TV channels, sponsored by air-purifier brands, now crackers have been banned. How much better is our air quality as a result, check the readings on your air filter.
There is no doubt that the activist-judiciary complex that rose in mid-90s, the years of Supreme Court’s Mr Justice “Environment” Kuldip Singh and PIL warrior M C Mehta has made a real contribution. Its high point was the successful shifting of the capital’s public and commercial transport to CNG. It brought about a phenomenal improvement in air quality. But this benefit peaked a decade back.
Much that has followed since then is gimmicky, thoughtless, arrogant, dictatorial. Something on the lines of: we, the activists, judges, friends in the media, and know what is best for you. So we order, and you follow. On fear of contempt of court. Ask no questions, seek no accountability. Meanwhile, also learn to nebulise your children.
Delhi’s air is a desperate problem, but some of the solutions have been too desperate and unthinking. The overnight shifting of all of Delhi’s cottage industry to outlying areas like Bawana with no time, patience or commitment to build infrastructure, physical or human. Industry and jobs were moved out before public transport and housing could fetch up, so the result was job losses, spawning of new slums and illegal housing sprawls built by land-grab mafias and simply shifting the capital’s pollution from its relatively core areas to the outskirts. There was insufficient thought to the kind of industry Delhi should have and on a policy to move in that direction. Funny,the belief that one privileged community can load its pollution on a lesser one. That poison-laden air does not respect municipal or even national boundaries was a lesson we were taught by the father of modern environmental activism Lester Brown in his bible on the issue, World Without Borders, published in 1972.
In 2015 AAP, a party of former activists took power in Delhi. It was quick to see the opportunity to shift from its old anti-corruption agenda to anti-pollution and took gimmickry to another plane altogether. I have compiled the following facts with the help of my colleague Rajgopal Singh.
First, it announced the so-called even/odd scheme which made no difference to air quality. Then followed the promise of installation of five giant air purifiers, a mist fountain and a virtual chimney in the most polluted areas. It was even done on “trial basis” in October 2016. There were other promises: mechanised, vacuum-sweeping of Delhi’s roads to reduce dust, our nastiest lung-destroyer. Spotted one of those lately?
The EPCA, Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal meanwhile kept doing their own thing, passing so many orders on vehicles and fuels that you’d need to call McKinsey to make sense of these. A reading of the comprehensive EPCA report (Click here to read it) submitted to Supreme Court on February 1 this year is revealing, especially the section on status report on implementation of SC orders (page 14-20).
Illustration: Binay Sinha
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