Kolkata, Dec 13 – Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh has warned that the city’s air quality is deteriorating, especially around the historic Victoria Memorial and the ecologically sensitive Maidan. In a letter addressed to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the West Bengal Environment Department, he noted that the Maidan—often called Kolkata’s “lung”—is now grappling with severe pollution, a problem that has been aggravated by the metro rail construction near the memorial. The AQI record at Victoria Memorial recently shot to 342, a figure that falls within the “very poor” to “hazardous” range, even surpassing levels seen in Delhi.
Ghosh cites several culprits for the spike: biomass burning around the Maidan, the current metro work that lacks environmentally‑friendly methods, traffic emissions, and roadside stalls near Esplanade that still use coal and firewood. In his letter he urged authorities to:
> “Regular water sprinkling around Victoria Memorial to trap dust, adopting eco‑friendly practices in metro construction, and restricting old diesel vehicles on Maa flyover near Victoria are some of the steps required to reduce the spike in the air pollution level. It is crucial for authorities to take immediate action to mitigate this pollution and protect public health.”
Even on Friday night, the AQI stayed above 300 in several parts of the city. At 10 p.m. the index at Victoria Memorial peaked at 355, and in Javadpur it read 311—both within the “very poor” to “hazardous” bracket. During daylight hours, Ballygunge and Fort William also recorded values exceeding 300. The city’s worst readings were 385 on Dec 11 and 378 on Dec 12.
Speaking to LatestNewsX on Saturday, Ghosh stated:
> “Kolkata’s metro projects significantly contribute to air pollution during construction due to excavation dust, uncovered soil transport in open trucks, traffic diversions causing congestion, and general construction debris, leading to spikes in PM2.5/PM10 and impacting local air quality.”
He added that routine construction, combined with existing waste‑burning problems, further worsens air quality. The elevated levels of PM2.5 and PM10 pose serious respiratory and cancer risks, with physicians observing a rise in lung ailments.
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