Saturday, December 5, 2015

Delhi Government on air pollution in the national capital

Delhi government, for controlling air pollution in the national capital, took a series of far reaching decisions mentioned below :
1) In view of the current levels of air pollution prevailing in Delhi, it was decided to consider permitting the plying of only odd/even number of vehicles on alternate days in Delhi from 1 January, 2016. (Emergency services like ambulances etc., will be kept out of this).
2) The fleet of Delhi Transport Corporation shall be augmented by Transport Department/DTC on the days restrictions are imposed for plying of even/odd number vehicles on Delhi roads.
3) It was noted that large number of school buses operate for a limited period of the day. Transport Department/DTC shall consider hiring these and similar buses for meeting additional public transport needs.
4) The DTC shall also operate their buses at higher frequency and for a longer period of time in a day. A request will go to Delhi Metro for extending the timing of its operations in the late evening.
5) Public Works Department will expedite proposals already under consideration in the department for vacuum cleaning of the dust from the roads in Delhi. The agencies are to be appropriately identified and target date for starting vacuum cleaning of the dust from roads shall be 01.04.2016.
6) It was noted that dust arises also from kuccha parts of the road berms, central verges and open spaces falling within the right of way of the roads. Extensive horticulture works shall be undertaken by the PWD w.e.f. 1.1.2016 with the objective to ensure that open areas prone to generating dust are greened and do not contribute to the dust.
7) Environment Department/DPCC will consider issuing orders to close the Badarpur and Rajghat Thermal Power Plants, which are contributing in a major way to the air pollution in Delhi.
8) Air pollution in Delhi has been attributed to the Thermal Power Plant at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. Delhi government will move an application in National Green Tribunal for closure of the Dadri Thermal Plant.
9) It was noted that goods trucks start moving on Delhi roads from 9.00 PM onwards while active traffic continues well beyond 9.00 PM. Trucks slow down drastically rest of the traffic, with the result that majority of other vehicles on the roads have to spend longer time contributing to the air pollution in a major way. Transport Department, with help of Traffic Police will finalise proposal to allow movement of trucks in Delhi from 10.00/11.00 PM instead of 9.00 PM.
10) A large number of outside trucks that enter into Delhi are found to be polluting the air as they do not meet GNCTD’s ‘Pollution Under Control’ norms. Transport Department will make arrangements for checking such vehicles and imposing fines on polluters.
11) It was also decided to crowd-source complaints (i) relating to visibly polluting vehicles and (ii) of burning of bio-mass, garbage, leaves, etc. using IT technology. The UD Department will modify its recently launched Swachh Bharat App. so that these complaints can be received from the public and are forwarded for action by the concerned authorities.
12) The cut-off date for implementation of Euro-VI emission norms for India has been fixed at 1 January 2019. Delhi government has decided to pre-pone it to 1st Jan 2017. Delhi government will make all efforts to meet this new self-imposed deadline.
13) Those MCD parkings on PWD roads of Delhi, which are creating chaos on roads will be closed down. The department has been directed to take effective steps to implement these decisions at the earliest.

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