Toxic smog fuels debate over shifting India's capital away from New Delhi

NEW DELHI -- The toxic smog cloaking New Delhi in recent weeks has been smothering its 20 million or so residents with dangerous pollution but breathing life into debate about whether the city can remain India's capital.

For many days this month, the air quality index for the sprawling metropolis has oscillated between "severe" and "severe plus," driving authorities to take emergency steps such as closing schools, banning construction activity, ordering some vehicles off the road and pushing offices to tell half their staff to work from home.