Congress’s Ajay Maken questions omission of air pollution hearing from Home Affairs panel agenda

Congress leader and panel member Ajay Maken. File

Questioning decision of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs to drop “air pollution” in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) from the agenda for its November 17 meeting, senior Congress leader and panel member Ajay Maken, in a letter to panel chairperson and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, urged him to reconsider bringing it back on the agenda, describing the situation as a “public health emergency.”

The committee had earlier scheduled a hearing with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and other concerned agencies on the subject. An agenda circulated on November 5 included a discussion on ‘Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Enforcement of regulatory measures, effective implementation of GRAP measures, protection of vulnerable sections and coordination among law enforcement and government agencies”.

However, the revised agenda omitted the subject. “I wish to register my objection to the omission of the air pollution hearing from the revised agenda for 17 November 2026. Given the urgency of the health risks, I request that this change be reconsidered and the hearing restored to that date,” Mr. Maken said in a letter to Mr. Agarwal.

He had first sought an examination of air pollution in a November 2 letter to the committee chairperson, Mr. Maken said. “The original public notice dated 5 November scheduled the hearing with the Ministry of Home Affairs and concerned agencies for 17 November at 2 p.m. The revised public notice dated 6 November omits that hearing. It gives no reason for this change,” he said.

Noting that no alternative date had been announced, Mr. Maken sought either restoration of the November 17 hearing or communication of the earliest possible date for discussion along with an explanation for the change.

Describing Delhi’s air pollution as a “public health emergency”, Mr. Maken said the protection of vulnerable groups, enforcement of regulations and coordination among agencies required immediate attention.

“A prompt hearing would allow the Committee to examine what the responsible agencies are doing, whether implementation is falling short and what immediate corrective action is needed,” he said.

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While noting that air pollution remains part of the committee’s annual programme, Mr. Maken said the removal of the November 17 hearing warranted an explanation. “Its omission requires an explanation and a definite date for examination,” he said.