Like every year, this year too I was visiting home in November for my annual leaves. I flew from London Heathrow airport to Delhi IGI. I was going to take a taxi from the multilevel car parking to continue my onward journey to reach home. Everything on the flight was usual as always, everything inside the airport was also normal. However, something very strange happened as soon as I stepped out of the airport in Delhi. I asked the person at the kiosk right in front of the Airport Exit gate, “where is the entry for the multilevel car parking?” The guy pointed me to his left and said “there is a sign board there“. I looked in the direction he pointed but couldn’t see a thing and after a few seconds asked him again. This time he first looked at me slightly irritated and then looked where he was pointing. “Oh! its not visible now, but if you walk in this direction you would see at the very end a board“

There was this dense white smoke like thing hovering over the road and reducing the visibility to just a few feet. This is November the 6th 4:00 AM in the morning. Never the less, I started walking in the direction the guy pointed. It did not feel like 19 degrees as was announced in the flight for the local temperature in Delhi. It felt warmer, much warmer than 19. I felt much more congested more so like I was walking in a large poorly ventilated hall with a million people inside. As a matter of fact it was 19 degrees in Portsmouth, UK where I had started my journey, which was quite pleasant and very different from the 19 in Delhi.

After walking for a few minutes I did see a sign board and after a minute more I saw it clearly written “Multilevel Parking”. For some reason I had started feeling uneasy walking this far, and trust me I am not old I am quite fit and do regular exhaustive sports like squash. Add miles of cycling. I entered the car park and found the taxi I was suppose to take.

While my ride started, I started looking out of the window; the thick dense white smoke like thing was everywhere as if it was following me and the visibility did not improve. The uneasiness did not go away and was gradually increasing. While still in the car, I could see the G20 remnants; the colorful lights, the fountains on the round-abouts, the decorations and other stuff. Unfortunately for me, I was not enjoying neither the ride nor the decorations. It was not even an hour since I stepped out of the Airport, my eyes and my head were hurting.

When I was planning my travel I wasn’t preparing myself for a city that looked like a post apocalyptical world shown in sci-fi movies. I was not prepared to see this dismal state of the capital of the country with the fastest growing GDP and claiming to be the next superpower. The airport had not issued a travel advisory like last year

Had it been the case, I would have at least carried a face mask.

Forget about the pride of India hosting G20, I was depressed at the state of my ambience. The sad and gloomy thoughts quickly transformed into guilt. I will live in this unhealthy environment only for a month in which most of the time I would stay inside the house. For the other eleven months of the year, I will inhale pure air, commute to the office by bicycle, and keep myself healthy and sane. This definitely is injustice to the people who live here. Isn’t it? What about my family and other millions that live with this throughout or keep travelling to Delhi for work?

The guilt quickly transformed into frustration, anger and helplessness. Arvind Kejriwal claimed some years ago that he will make Delhi another London. Is this London? It definitely doesn’t feel like. Kejriwal and his party has been ruling Delhi for nearly a decade now.

Also read: Some ideas to reduce pollution and create startups/employment opportunities

What has the government done so far?

That’s from 2019, and we are now in 2023. The condition instead of improving has worsened. And the irony is that AAP is now in power in Punjab too. So, can’t blame Congress ruled Punjab for their contribution in pollution owing to crop residue burning. I am waiting for him to come up with a new narrative blaming someone for his incompetence.

Also read: Delhi’s Bermuda Triangle

Does any of the points mentioned in his 7-point plan look like that is coming from a very qualified, highly educated ex-IITian? In fact, in last ten years when was the last time you saw Kejriwal doing or saying something that made you think “yeah, that’s something that only he can think of that a IXth pass Tejaswi Yadav can never come up with “? The only thing I hear from him is the age old third class politics: BJP, Modi are scared of me; Modi is a coward and psychopath; Mohalla clinics is AAP’s flagship project; what’s the need of NRC/CAA?

Also Read: Delhi’s Political Pollution and AAP’s no-NRC resolution & a new narrative

Till when will Aam Aadmi Party continue to make a fool out of common man? Till when Kejriwal will keep pushing Delhiites live in a gas chamber?

Delhi is a gateway to India. If a person like me who grew up here, lived here for majority of his life, is an ardent believer of India’s rising global stature can get depressed at the state of the city, what will a western tourist think of India? Do we still think people from develop countries will ever think of India as a place worth visiting?

Well, at least Delhiites are enjoying free water, free electricity and also free slow death. Free Free Free!!!!

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