Ashwin calls quality of air in Delhi 'scary', calls it an 'emergency'

Team India's Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called the quality of air in Delhi as 'scary' ahead of the first T20 against Bangladesh, set to be played on Sunday. The nation's capital has been engulfed in polluted air with the quality reaching hazardous levels. The players, from both Indian and Bangladesh camps, have played down the pollution factor, reasoning that it was just a three-hour game. The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to shift the venue and has instead given a green signal for the match to be played as per the schedule. 

Taking to Twitter, India's ace spinner Ashwin called the air quality in Delhi as scary and said that oxygen was the basic requirement for human beings. Ashwin said that it was a case of an emergency as he voiced his concerns about the pollution levels amid which the first T20 is scheduled to be played. Although Ashwin is not a part of the T20 squad playing on Sunday, the spinner took to Twitter to express his concerns over the rising pollution levels in Delhi. 

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Ashwin calls pollution levels in Delhi as 'scary' 

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Anti-pollution measures intensified

As pollution level spiked in the national capital, civic authorities on Friday said special arrangements have been done to control air and dust pollution near the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where a T20 international match is slated to take place on November 3. With worsening air quality in the national capital, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said it has decided to adopt a strategy of "zero-tolerance" towards violators of pollution control norms in view of the first T20I match between India and Bangladesh. The BCCI has stuck to its words and has no plans to shift the venue, with the players and the management too maintaining silence on the issue of brushing it aside. 

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The patrolling teams have been told to inspect round-the-clock on a rotation basis, he said. Deputy commissioners have been instructed to ensure that there is no leniency towards any violator, the SDMC said. "The SDMC has also deployed an extra nine water tankers and 12 water sprinklers in the Central Zone. Ten Mechanical sweepers have been stationed for cleaning and sweeping the roads near the stadium. Special sanitation drive will be conducted and 35 'safai karamcharis' have been asked to ensure sanitation and cleanliness to combat dust pollution," the SDMC said in a statement. The licensing department has been authorized to take strict action against the burning of garbage, construction activities construction and demolition waste dumping. All the zonal heads have been instructed to submit daily activity reports, it said. Separate teams have been constituted to take action against garbage and biomass burning, emission and dust pollution from construction activities, construction and dumping activities and polluting industries across the SDMC areas, the statement said. Meanwhile, 255 challans have been issued by the SDMC to violators, collecting Rs 13.24 lakh in a penalty from them, the civic body said. 

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