The recent smog in Delhi left people gasping for fresh air, forcing the implementation of emergency measures stipulated in the Graded Response Action Plan to bring pollution levels down. However, Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago suggests that most cities in the Indo-Gangetic plain need similar emergency measures immediately to bring down annual average PM2.5 levels. Even Panchkula, surrounded by hills and greenery, did not meet the annual average safe standard in 2016, while Lucknow, Gurgaon, Kanpur and Faridabad recorded far higher pollution levels than Delhi….