|
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday told the Delhi Government that school children should not be made to play outdoor sports during the highly polluted winter months from November to January.
Justice Sachin Datta, while hearing a plea filed by minor students, said the authorities were failing to protect children's health and must change the annual sports calendar so that no outdoor events are held during these toxic months. "You can't call children to damage their lungs. You must change your calendar accordingly," the court observed. The judge directed the Department of Education to file a status report within four weeks and fixed the next hearing for January 13, 2026. Senior Advocate Shyel Trehan, representing the minor students, informed the court that several outdoor sports events were scheduled this month, despite extremely poor air quality. She said the Department of Education is responsible for preparing the sports calendar. Trehan also showed the court a photograph shared by a pulmonologist, illustrating the harmful effects of polluted air on children's lungs. When the judge asked whether the Supreme Court had examined a similar issue, Trehan confirmed that the Supreme Court had directed the CAQM to take sporting activities into account while enforcing GRAP restrictions. Justice Datta told the Delhi Government, "Do you recognise that these months are bad? You must plan so that no sports events happen then. You should schedule events after the board exams." The government responded that only a few sporting events are held outdoors and that winters were once enjoyable in Delhi, but assured the court it would speak to the Department of Education. Trehan said that holding sports in such conditions was "shocking" and amounted to "criminal negligence." The petition says that Delhi's winter air routinely reaches the severe and hazardous categories and that forcing children to play in such conditions harms their health and violates their right to life. (ANI)
|
