'Even G20 couldn't be held in November': Amitabh Kant on AQI, cleanliness crisis in Delhi

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant believes that both municipal corporations and citizens are to be blamed for Delhi's cleanliness problem. Unlike Indore - the cleanest city in the country for several years - Kant said people in the national capital do not segregate waste and do not take responsibility.

"There are certain things which the Delhi municipality must do in terms of cleanliness, road management, etc. Why should there be plastic on the roads? Sweeping needs to be done. There's a failure of municipal governance. But more than that, it's the citizens of Delhi who are also to be blamed," Kant said in a podcast conversation with Monika Halan for Groww.

"The citizens of Delhi do not do segregation of waste. They do not take responsibility. They've got used to this chalta hai attitude. So, let's not blame the government for everything. A lot of blame goes to the citizens of Delhi as well," he said.

Citing Indore as an example, the former bureaucrat said there is a sense of pride and ownership among citizens there. "You throw a piece of paper, the citizen there will catch hold of you. There's a huge penal provision there. There's a sense of great ownership by the citizens of Indore. Where is the sense of ownership by the citizens of Delhi? They must hold the government responsible for a lot of things. Where are the colonies holding their municipalities to account?" he asked.

When asked whether resident welfare associations should take the lead, Kant said: "Absolutely. They must take the lead. They must hold everybody responsible. They must push for better governance in Delhi. But, I also feel that there is a lot to be done in terms of air quality."

Delhi's air quality has remained in the 'very poor' to 'severe' category for over a month. On Sunday, the city's air quality worsened further, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) plunging to 461. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good'.

Kant said there was still a lot of firewood burning in Delhi and the NCR, which needs to be replaced by LPG. Listing other measures, he said the power plants that have not upgraded their technology should be shut down. "As you drive down to Rajasthan, you have a lot of brick manufacturing units with outdated technology, which need to be set right," he said.

The former Niti Aayog CEO also said Delhi must be ambitious and commit to making all two-wheelers and three-wheelers electric within the next three years, and ensure that by 2030, all modes of transportation go electric. "This ambition has never been put forth strongly. I'm a great believer that there has to be a mix of both - top leadership, which has to be driven by the chief minister of Delhi, support from the central government, municipal governance, and backing it all, the citizens of Delhi," he said.

The former G20 Sherpa said Delhi's municipal corporations, the chief minister, and citizens must work together to improve air quality. "It's (air quality) having a huge impact on the lives of citizens of Delhi. You won't have tourists coming in here, people will suffer, young children are suffering," he said.

Kant also revealed that air quality concerns prevented India from hosting the G20 Summit in November or December. "Even the G20 could not be held in November-December. We had to do it in September. So transforming Delhi, for the sake of India, is very critical because it has a huge adverse multiplier impact," he said.

Usually, the G20 summit happens in November. However, India held it in September 2023. The summit was held on 9-10 September in New Delhi.