Shift public transport vehicles in NCR to CNG, ban firecrackers: Delhi to neighbouring states

While guidelines suggest that diesel generators be banned when pollution levels rise, Haryana had last year allowed some colonies to use DG sets because they didnt have power supply, he said.We have suggested that emergency arrangements be made for such areas, Rai added.He said states can also run campaigns like Red Light On Gaadi Off campaign to plug vehicular pollution and adopt a tree transplantation policy.

Delhi has suggested its surrounding states to shift their public transport vehicles in the National Capital Region to CNG and adopt a policy to promote electric vehicles, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said Thursday.

It has also urged the neighbouring states to emulate Delhi and ban firecrackers to tackle pollution, he said.

Rai made the suggestions during an online meeting of NCR states convened by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. M M Kutty, the chairman of the Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management, also attended the meeting.

''Delhi has suggested that neighbouring states shift their public transport vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR) to CNG and adopt an electric vehicle policy,'' Rai told a press conference after the meeting.

Delhi's public transport fleet has already shifted to less-polluting CNG, but diesel-operated vehicles from neighbouring states continue to ply on the streets of the national capital which negatively impacts the efforts made by the city government, he said.

He said no extension should be given to thermal power plants in NCR that are operating without emission control devices.

''These TPPs are to be retrofitted with new technology to control emissions but they operate without it after paying a penalty. The gases they emit are the most harmful,'' Rai said.

The minister said he also urged the neighbouring states to spray bio-decomposer on paddy straw as an ''emergency measure'' to prevent stubble burning. If they don't do it in time, Delhi and the entire north India will have to bear the brunt of stubble burning this year too, he said.

''We have also suggested that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh constitute a task force for pollution hotspots in their areas surrounding Delhi for ground visits and focused work,'' he said.

''Most of the officials in these states sit in Lucknow and Chandigarh, while most of their dust pollution and industrial emissions are concentrated in areas abutting Delhi,'' Rai pointed out. The minister underlined that all industrial units in Delhi are now running on piped natural gas.

Other states have also been asked to do so, but the slow pace of work is concerning. Delhi has urged that it be expedited to control industrial pollution, Rai said.

Only a few brick kilns in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are using the zigzag technology to curb pollution, he mentioned. While guidelines suggest that diesel generators be banned when pollution levels rise, Haryana had last year allowed some colonies to use DG sets because they didn't have power supply, he said.

''We have suggested that emergency arrangements be made for such areas,'' Rai added.

He said states can also run campaigns like “Red Light On Gaadi Off” campaign to plug vehicular pollution and adopt a tree transplantation policy. During the meeting, it was said UP will use bio-decomposer in 10 lakh acres of area, Punjab in five lakh acres, Haryana one lakh acre.

`Rai said Haryana, Punjab and UP have plans to distribute only bio-decomposer capsules to farmers. “Merely distributing bio-decomposer capsules to the farmers won't solve this problem. It would not have been possible to control pollution in Delhi had the government not taken this matter into its own hands,” he said.

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