Gopal Rai appeals to Delhites to reduce number of vehicle trips to help bring down pollution

PTI, Sep 30, 2021, 4:41 PM IST

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday appealed to residents of the city to reduce the number of vehicle trips to help bring down vehicular pollution.

The minister held a meeting with resident welfare associations, NGOs and eco clubs on pollution control measures being taken by the Delhi government. Senior officials from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Environment Department attended it.

“We wanted to collect the feedback from these organisations on our efforts and seek their suggestions. Most of the people said that the ”Red light on Gaadi off” campaign should be continued,” he told reporters.

It was suggested that all RWAs promote carpooling. Residents can plan their work and reduce the number of vehicle trips accordingly, which will help bring down vehicular pollution. Security guards should be provided heaters to prevent burning of biomass, Rai said.

The minister also launched an email id — [email protected] – using which people can give suggestions to the government on pollution control measures.

The Delhi government has imposed a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the city till January 1, 2022. It has issued detailed guidelines for construction and demolition sites to control dust pollution.

Officials said Delhi’s ”Winter Action Plan” to tackle pollution will be ready soon. It will focus on 10 points, including stubble burning, pollution hotspots, working of smog tower and vehicular and dust pollution.

As part of the plan, the city government will upgrade the ”Green War Room” launched last year to monitor and coordinate anti-pollution efforts and update the “Green Delhi” application to effectively address complaints related to pollution causing activities.

A team of officers will also be set up to have talks with neighbouring states to jointly fight pollution.