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Several parts of the national capital experienced dense fog on Tuesday morning. The Air Quality Index stood at 256 at 7 am, placing air quality in the poor category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Several monitoring stations across the city reported AQI levels in the poor-to-very poor range. Ashok Vihar stood at 287. Bawana reported an AQI of 239, Burari 234, and Chandni Chowk 324. Dwarka Sector 8 recorded 293, ITO 248, while Mundka recorded 297 and Wazirpur recorded 316. Okhla Phase-2 logged an AQI of 310, Rohini 281, Punjabi Bagh 295, and RK Puram 300. Lower readings were recorded in Narela (168) and Alipur (212), according to the CPCB. As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'. The temperature in the city was around 12 degrees Celsius at 7 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called for a parliamentary debate on air pollution and asked the government to ensure "enough money" in the Union Budget to tackle the issue. In a Facebook post, Gandhi read messages from citizens, and in a self-made video, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare air pollution a national health emergency. In the self-made video, Lok Sabha LoP said, "It is about time the government allows a discussion in Parliament and the Prime Minister should declare pollution a national health emergency... We need to come together and develop a serious plan... We need to make sure there is enough money in the budget to tackle this problem." Sharing the post, the Congress leader wrote, "Over the last few days, I've read thousands of messages from Indians about what pollution is doing to their lives. What stood out was fear - fear for children, for parents, for tomorrow - felt by families in cities across India. Pollution is no longer just an environmental issue; it is a national health emergency. Parliament must discuss it. The government must act. And this Budget must put real resources behind real solutions. Indians are not asking for reports or rhetoric. They are asking for clean air." The Budget session will span 30 sittings over 65 days, concluding on April 2. The two Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 to enable the Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments. (ANI)
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