No magic wand to clear Delhi's air pollution
The Tribune Editorial: Despite repeated judicial nudges, commissions set up to manage air quality seldom demonstrate the urgency or authority required.
Updated At : 02:48 AM Nov 28, 2025 IST
DELHI’s polluted winter has once again forced the nation to confront an unpleasant truth: the crisis is now so chronic that even the highest court in the land feels compelled to remind citizens that it does not possess a “magic wand” to clear the air. The Supreme Court’s observation is an indictment of decades of blame-shifting and institutional complacency. For years, Delhi-NCR has witnessed air quality sinking to hazardous levels every winter. Yet, the political debate continues to circle familiar culprits: stubble burning, vehicular emissions, construction dust, industrial pollution. As the Supreme Court noted, there is no single reason — because there has never been a single, coordinated, year-round strategy.
