Delhi is gasping for clean air because of extreme levels of pollution but no political party is willing to waste breath on addressing the issue in their campaign for the Assembly polls in the capital.

What the parties intend to do to address the crisis finds only passing mention in their election manifestos and are hardly broached at campaign rallies.

“Clean air is a priority. I will support leaders dedicated to achieving it. Whoever promises to reduce pollution, I will vote for them forever,” said Mohd Guddu, a food delivery agent. He said it was difficult to work during winter when pollution levels are at their peak, adding that he was concerned about his elderly parents and relatives.

From October to February, the national capital’s air turns toxic because of multiple reasons such as stubble burning, vehicle emissions, bursting of firecrackers during festivals, dust and intense winter smog.

Delhi residents have condemned the political parties for downplaying the hazards of air pollution.

“Pollution is the priority for us,” said Vijay Verma, a senior consultant physiotherapist whose father has a heart condition. The Rohini resident said the poor air was only worsening cardiac and respiratory ailments. This correspondent met the Vermas at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital recently.

Tarang Gupta, 27, another Rohini resident who had come to the hospital to get his mother treated for respiratory disorder, said he had not heard any politician speak about ways to improve air quality in their election speeches.

“Many parties are promising various freebies, but along with those we are getting air pollution for free,” Gupta said.

His mother, schoolteacher Suman Gupta, said the poor air quality was affecting academics as schools would remain shut during spells of intense pollution and teachers would then struggle to finish the syllabus.

A senior citizen at the hospital who refused to be identified voiced the same concern. “Time has come for all political parties to keep politics aside and work to provide clean air,” he said.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s manifesto promises a clean Yamuna but measures to tackle air pollution are conspicuous by their absence in the list of guarantees. The BJP’s manifesto promises to launch a Delhi Clean Air Mission to halve the capital’s average AQI by 2030 and reduce the number of days with poor AQI, as a measure of PM2.5 and PM10 levels, by 50 per cent. However, the topic of pollution has found place on the last page of the BJP’s three-part manifesto, signalling its importance in the party’s pecking order of priorities. The Congress manifesto mentions pollution but offers no roadmap on improving air quality.

Environmentalists have from time to time suggested anti-pollution measures. Jeevesh Gupta, an environmentalist, said: “No political party is concerned about air quality and health.”

“AQI levels above 300 (categorised as hazardous) is a norm now and the message is very clear. With Delhi’s green cover declining at a faster pace than ever, Delhi is only heading towards a disaster. Either live it or get lost,” Gupta said.

Gupta appealed to the people of Delhi to ask the political parties to work on compulsory tree plantation outside every household. He also suggested that trees should not be cut for any project for at least the next two-three years. He said the city doesn’t need infrastructure development at the moment. “We need air to breathe. Who will benefit from this infra growth if people don’t survive?” he said.

Om Prakash, 66, who was at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute for treatment, complained that none of the political parties is concerned about air pollution. “They are busy blaming each other. None of these parties did anything. They make false promises, which they forget after the polls,” he said.

Shivam Prajapati, a Varanasi resident who is preparing for civil services exams at a coaching institute in Delhi, said: “If I were a voter of Delhi, I would have questioned leaders on this critical issue when they come to seek votes.”