- “We need a WAR against pollution,” said Amitabh Kant, warning that Delhi loses ₹100,000 crore and 6.3 years of life per citizen annually due to air pollution.
- Rajesh Verma, Chairperson, CAQM, highlighted: “vehicles have increased 21 times since 1981, but roads have barely doubled.”
- ICCT and IIT Roorkee launched a landmark literature review of 6 major Indian studies confirming Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) as the most climate-effective mobility solution.
- “Avoiding combustion in cities must become a basic planning principle,” said Amit Bhatt, MD, ICCT India.
- The day also featured new tools on water security, urban ecology, and public transport governance.
New Delhi, June 5, 2025— Urban Adda 2025 concluded on World Environment Day with a clarion call for urgent reforms in India’s urban transport, water systems, and environmental governance. The three-day event began on World Bicycle Day (June 3), celebrating clean mobility, and ended with expert-led discussions pushing for deeper decarbonisation across sectors. Hosted at the India Habitat Centre, the final day spotlighted the urgent need to shift from combustion to electrification as a non-negotiable path for Indian cities battling air pollution, traffic congestion, and climate vulnerabilities.
Memorandum of Understanding for Resources Lab
On June 5, 2025, in Delhi, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Raahgiri Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Resources Lab aimed at mitigating dust pollution from roads and open areas in the National Capital Region (NCR). This lab will serve as a training and capacity-building hub for officials and stakeholders from NCR cities, equipping them with sustainable road design principles, dust pollution control techniques, non-motorized transport infrastructure, and strategies for environmental sustainability. Inspired by Gurugram’s Janpath model, the initiative targets measurable reductions in dust and particulate matter (PM), improved public health, and replicable models for climate resilience.
Session Spotlight: Driving Change – Catalysing Clean Transport in Indian Cities
The day opened with the launch of a joint study by ICCT India and IIT Roorkee, reviewing six major Indian lifecycle assessment studies on EVs. The study examined assumptions around energy use, grid carbon intensity, and real-world driving patterns to determine the true climate impact of electric vehicles.
Amit Bhatt, India Managing Director, ICCT, stated, “Avoiding combustion in cities must become a basic planning principle. This review helps Indian cities make decisions grounded in evidence, not assumptions.”
Sunitha Anoop, study co-author, outlined the three key findings:
– All studies agree BEVs offer the most emissions reduction potential, even with India’s current grid mix.
– Delaying action for a cleaner grid is counterproductive — ICE vehicles bought today will stay on roads for 15 years or more.
– Key factors like test cycle energy use, real-world correction, and grid emissions dramatically influence outcomes.
Delivering the keynote, Rajesh Verma, Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), shared stark figures:
“Between 1981 and 2021, the number of vehicles in Delhi-NCR increased by 21 times, while road infrastructure only doubled. This mismatch is choking our cities.”
He underlined that technology alone is not enough — enforcement and behaviour change are equally essential. Verma noted positive signs:
– The share of electric buses in Delhi’s fleet has risen to nearly 25%, with over 7,600 e-buses already deployed.
– The average number of ‘good’ AQI days has increased by over 30% in the last seven years.
– The number of ‘severe’ pollution days has dropped by almost a quarter in the same period.
G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant warned of staggering economic and health impacts:
“Delhi becomes unlivable for three months a year. Air pollution costs us 6.3 years of life expectancy and nearly ₹100,000 crore — that’s 3% of GDP annually.”
He laid out a concrete agenda:
– All 2- and 3-wheelers to go electric within a year.
– All new taxis electric; replace existing fleets in 24 months.
– All school buses to be electric or retrofitted within 2 years.
– All brick kilns to shift to zigzag tech.
– Thermal power plants must install FGD and DSI units.
– SMEs must adopt electric boilers, powered by rooftop solar.
“We must leapfrog. Don’t invest in transition fuels or legacy tech—go electric, go now,” he said.
Session Spotlight: Public Transport Governance – Challenges and Opportunities
A pivotal session on “Public Transport Governance: Challenges and Opportunities” at Urban Adda 2025 underscored the urgent need for a comprehensive overhaul of public mobility in Indian cities. The discussion emphasized robust governance, user-centric design, and a long-term vision, with significant insights shared on India’s broader clean mobility ambitions by Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries. Co-hosted by the Raahgiri Foundation and TRIP Centre, IIT-Delhi, the session was moderated by Mr. OP Agarwal, Fellow at NITI Aayog.
The panel convened to address the complex challenges and opportunities in public transport.
Dr. Hanif Qureshi provided a detailed overview of India’s strategy for sustainable transport: “Electric buses are a focus, with schemes supporting 14,000 government buses, and the National eBus Program targeting 50,000 by 2050, making India a global leader. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for electric buses is around ₹50/km compared to ₹100-105/km for diesel, making electric mobility not only good for the environment but also economically sensible.” He also touched upon schemes for electric trucks and the importance of vehicle scrapping with a tradeable credit platform.
Prof. Geetam Tiwari, Emeritus Professor, TRIP Centre, IIT-Delhi, challenged conventional perspectives: “Congestion is not the problem we have to solve – that is a car-centric perspective. For trips less than 5km, the bicycle should be the mode of choice. This is a design problem.” She pointed to the lack of a long-term vision in bus procurement and the absence of an entity for integrated planning.
Water Security, Urban Ecology, and Infrastructure Governance
The day’s later sessions featured the launch of a Rainwater Harvesting Calculator and the Damdama Ecological Baseline Assessment Report, offering scientific tools for climate resilience and restoration.
Speakers emphasized the need for city-scale water stewardship, with strong integration of civil society, data platforms, and inter-departmental coordination. In the Public Transport Governance session, experts called for route rationalization, transparent financing, and gender-sensitive transit planning.
Urban Adda 2025: A Citizen-Focused Urban Transformation Platform
Over the course of three days, Urban Adda 2025 hosted 100+ speakers across 30 sessions, engaging over 300 participants, including ministers, civil servants, climate experts, citizen leaders, and youth.
The event began on World Bicycle Day (June 3) with Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya calling cycling “the solution of pollution.” Day 1 also saw Delhi’s Transport Minister announce that EV Policy 2.0 will be launched next month. Youth Adda on Day 2 energized the venue with civic ideas around equity, active mobility, and climate resilience.
