Delhi air pollution: HC seeks reply from AAP govt on plea for postponement of half marathon

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a response from the city government, police and DPCC after receiving a letter from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) urging that the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon scheduled for 19 November be postponed due to poor air quality.

Issuing a notice to the Delhi government, police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and organisers of the half marathon, a division bench of Justice Ravindra Bhat and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked them to file their responses before 16 November, the next date of hearing.

The air quality is extremely poor and it would be unsafe to continue with the half marathon, the IMA said in its letter and urged to cancel or postpone the marathon to a later date when the air quality improves.

“The air quality is particularly poor in the early morning when pollution is extremely high. This is also the time when the proposed half marathon is scheduled to start. The hazardous pollution levels may have disastrous health consequences even for the healthy participants,” the letter read.

The letter came at a time when Delhi is facing severe levels of air pollution.

IMA President Dr KK Aggarwal has written a letter to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court for postponement of the half marathon.

The high court has been hearing a suo motu case which it initiated in 2015 to control air pollution in the national capital.