A view of fog on the duty path.
Shashi Thakur, New Delhi. The black blanket of smog that has engulfed Delhi, which used to be abuzz with cultural programmes, has dulled the shine of the programmes. With the air quality index reaching the "severe" category, the stringent restrictions on Grape-4 have dampened the enthusiasm of the organisers.
The situation is such that many big programs to be held in Delhi have either been canceled or they have had to take shelter in the neighboring states of NCR. Strictness of rules increased the problems of organizers. Due to pollution, Delhi government and police have adopted a very strict stance regarding permission for events.
Due to the complete ban on outdoor activities, a crowd of lakhs of people was expected to gather at the event. Now only a few people are able to reach there. A huge gathering of a private school organization was proposed in a prestigious stadium in Delhi. In which one lakh people were expected to come, but due to lack of permission to organize the event at the last moment, it was shifted to "Bharat Mandapam", where the number of people came down to only 40 thousand.
Journey from Yashobhoomi to Noida: The proposed auto parts seminar in Yashobhoomi also did not get the green signal from the Delhi government, after which it had to be shifted to Noida. Due to vehicle restrictions and change of venue, only 500 participants could gather here.
Many big programs were canceled
The havoc of pollution was not limited only to commercial programs, but the courtyards of art and education also remained untouched by it. The inauguration ceremony of two art exhibitions to be organized by the Ministry of Culture and NGMA on December 22 in the Red Fort courtyard was cancelled.
As per the instructions of the Ministry, no "outdoor" activity can be allowed at present. At the same time, the much awaited "Van Vihar" program of Sanskar Bharti has now been postponed till January 4 due to fog. Delhi Technological University has also postponed the convocation ceremony keeping the health of the students paramount.
Hundreds of students who are dreaming of getting a degree wearing a gown are disappointed. Business stalled, artists facing financial crisis: According to Bhupendra Kaushik, General Secretary of Sanskar Bharti, the complete ban on outdoor activities has broken the back of the event management sector. People are afraid to leave their homes. Due to which ticket sales and sponsorships have completely ended.