Protecting the Heart of India: A Citizen’s Petition to End Delhi’s Air Pollution Crisis
Protecting the Heart of India: A Citizen’s Petition to End Delhi’s Air Pollution Crisis
The Issue
To:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India
Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jorbagh Road, Aliganj, New Delhi – 110003
The National Green Tribunal (NGT)
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi – 110001
The Government of Delhi
Delhi Secretariat, I.P. Estate, New Delhi – 110002
Subject: Urgent intervention to control Delhi’s severe air pollution and protect citizens’ right to clean air.
Respected Authorities,
I am a citizen of India, from Gangtok, Sikkim, writing not only as an observer but as someone who feels deeply for Delhi - a city that symbolizes the heart of our nation. Though I live far away, I believe that Delhi’s suffering is India’s suffering, and what harms one part of our homeland affects us all.
In recent weeks, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi has repeatedly crossed 400, reaching hazardous levels that directly threaten millions of lives. The dense smog covering the city is no longer a seasonal concern, it has become a public health emergency. Thousands of children, the elderly, and low-income families are forced to breathe toxic air every single day, without access to air purifiers or even clean indoor environments.
Air is the one resource that every human being needs equally and yet, it has become a luxury for the privileged. Clean air cannot be a luxury. It is a fundamental human right, protected under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution - the Right to Life.
Delhi cannot remain a gas chamber every winter not in a nation that strives to be a global leader in both development and compassion.
As a concerned citizen, I earnestly urge the authorities to take immediate, effective, and inclusive action to restore our right to clean air. The health of our people, and the future of our country depends on the steps we take today.
I may be from Gangtok, Sikkim, but Delhi is my homeland too. The capital of our nation should not be known for the air that kills, but for the life it represents.
With hope and urgency,
Sayan Sherpa
Gangtok, Sikkim
Citizen of India
57
The Issue
To:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India
Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jorbagh Road, Aliganj, New Delhi – 110003
The National Green Tribunal (NGT)
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi – 110001
The Government of Delhi
Delhi Secretariat, I.P. Estate, New Delhi – 110002
Subject: Urgent intervention to control Delhi’s severe air pollution and protect citizens’ right to clean air.
Respected Authorities,
I am a citizen of India, from Gangtok, Sikkim, writing not only as an observer but as someone who feels deeply for Delhi - a city that symbolizes the heart of our nation. Though I live far away, I believe that Delhi’s suffering is India’s suffering, and what harms one part of our homeland affects us all.
In recent weeks, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi has repeatedly crossed 400, reaching hazardous levels that directly threaten millions of lives. The dense smog covering the city is no longer a seasonal concern, it has become a public health emergency. Thousands of children, the elderly, and low-income families are forced to breathe toxic air every single day, without access to air purifiers or even clean indoor environments.
Air is the one resource that every human being needs equally and yet, it has become a luxury for the privileged. Clean air cannot be a luxury. It is a fundamental human right, protected under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution - the Right to Life.
Delhi cannot remain a gas chamber every winter not in a nation that strives to be a global leader in both development and compassion.
As a concerned citizen, I earnestly urge the authorities to take immediate, effective, and inclusive action to restore our right to clean air. The health of our people, and the future of our country depends on the steps we take today.
I may be from Gangtok, Sikkim, but Delhi is my homeland too. The capital of our nation should not be known for the air that kills, but for the life it represents.
With hope and urgency,
Sayan Sherpa
Gangtok, Sikkim
Citizen of India
57
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 2 November 2025