Rs 80 lakh penalty imposed in two days for polluting activities: CPCB

A total penalty of Rs 80 lakh was imposed on violators in the last two days by the teams deployed to monitor implementation of measures to combat pollution in the Delhi NCR under the Clean Air Campaign, the CPCB said Saturday.

An aggressive ten-day-long 'Clean Air Campaign' from November 1 to 10 has been launched by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan to monitor and report polluting activities as well as to ensure quick action.

These teams are visiting different parts of Delhi and adjacent towns of Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida.

Based on 465 complaints, a total fine of Rs 41,82,500 was imposed on Saturday itself by 52 teams in the national capital which has witnessed deteriorating air quality in the past two weeks, said the Central Pollution Control Board.

The highest number of complaints on Saturday were related to illegal construction and demolition activities, the CPCB said.

A total of 167 complaints of construction and demolition activities were received. Other complaints included that of vehicular emission, traffic congestion, industrial emission, open or garbage burning, leaf burning, road dust, unpaved road, fire in landfill sites, air pollution from generators among others, it said.

A total of 89 complaints were received through social media and e-mail while 376 complaints were received through the 'Sameer app' that has been developed by the CPCB.

About 42 teams visited sites of 312 complaints in Delhi while one team attended to 21 complaints in Gurgaon, two teams to 17 complaints in Faridabad, three teams to ten complaints in Noida and Greater Noida and four teams for 16 complaints in Ghaziabad.

Delhi's air pollution level dipped slightly Saturday but remained in the "very poor" category due to control measures by authorities and stagnant meteorological conditions but officials warned of deterioration in air quality to "severe" levels from Monday.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 336, which falls in the "very poor" category, according to data of the CPCB.

On Friday, a total of 576 complaints were received and a fine of Rs 38,68,500 was imposed, the CPCB said, adding 251 complaints were related to construction and demolition activities.

While other complaints included vehicular emission, traffic congestion, industrial emission, open or garbage burning, leaf burning, road dust, unpaved road, fire in landfill sites, air pollution from generators among others.

A total of 62 complaints were received through social media and email while 474 complaints were recieved through the Sameer app.

About 45 teams visited sites of 418 complaints in Delhi while two teams attended to two complaints in Gurgaon, two teams to 30 complaints in Faridabad, two teams to 18 complaints in Noida and Greater Noida and one team for six complaints in Ghaziabad.

The teams comprise the local Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) as the team leader, senior official from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and representatives from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

The deployment of teams come ahead of the festival season when the air quality is expected to deteriorate to severe levels due to local factors as well as regional factors like the stubble burning.

The measures imposed in the national capital to check pollution have led to a slight improvement in air quality which continued to remain in the lower limit of "very poor" category. Earlier, the air quality was on the brink of slipping into severe category.

Other measures include halt on all construction activities involving excavation. Civil construction has also been suspended in Delhi and other NCR districts, besides closure of all stone crushers and hot mix plants generating dust pollution.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has also directed the Transport Department and the Traffic Police to intensify checking of polluting vehicles and control travel congestion in the region during November 1-10.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)