New Delhi: As Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered above 625, air visibility turned so bad that flights had to be diverted from Delhi airport and the Delhi Government had to order shutting of schools likening it to a public health emergency, a top bureaucrat of Modi government took to Twitter on Sunday to express his wish to dump the city due to pollution and settle in the coastal state of Kerala, down south.
Amitabh Kant, who is the CEO of Niti Aayog and perceived to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took to Twitter to post four serene photos of Kerala with crystal clear skies and lush green landscape, stating: "Away from the hustle, bustle of Delhi in God's Own Country where I have lived, worked and served the people of the state."
Then came Kant's bombshell when he added: "this is where I will settle down in life". He added two hashtags - 'Kerala' and 'pollution Kills'.
While Delhi is ruled by Aam Aadmi Party, but pollution remains a typical north Indian phenomenon where cities like Gurugram and Faridabad fall under BJP-JJP ruled Haryana and Noida, Ghaziabad fall under BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh. Incidentally, all these cities have recorded worse AQI than that of Delhi.
Kant's tweet on quitting Delhi citing pollution and settling in left ruled Kerala is likely to leave the Centre red-faced.
Amitabh Kant, who is a Kerala Cadre IAS officer, has been a key driver of "God's Own Country" campaigns which positioned and branded the Kerala State as leading tourism destinations. Kant has served as Secretary - Tourism, Government of Kerala, as well as Managing Director of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation.
As Delhi-NCR gasps for breath and is set to re-welcome Odd-Even car rationing scheme on Monday to bring down pollution level, even if partially, this top bureaucrat of Modi government proposing to leave the capital for good is definitely a warning sign for the government, as far as dealing seriously with pollution is concerned.
