DELHI GOVERNMENT TO PREPARE ‘WINTER ACTION PLAN’ TO TACKLE POLLUTION

The Delhi government has intensified its preparations to save the people of Delhi from the increasing pollution due to various reasons during the winter season. On Thursday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai conducted a high-level meeting with Environment Department, DPCC, Development Authority, and Forest Department regarding the Winter Action Plan.

Talking about the plan Rai said that the Delhi government has started preparing the Winter Action Plan to run an active campaign against pollution with public cooperation. “Our Winter Action Plan will be based on ten focus points which include stubble and garbage burning, vehicle and dust pollution, hotspots, smog towers, communication with neighboring states, up-gradation of War room and Green apps, and contact with the central government and central commission,” he said.

The Environment Minister informed that on September 14, after holding a review meeting with all the concerned departments, suggestions will be taken on the set focus points, and by September 30, the Winter Action Plan will be prepared. After this, the Delhi government will start several campaigns to control pollution.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai discussed all the ten focus points and said “The first of the 10 focus points is the problem of stubble. In the coming days, a lot of work will be done keeping the problem of stubble burning a focal point. Second, work will be done focusing on vehicular pollution. The third is dust pollution. The fourth focus point is garbage burning. During the winter, garbage is burnt everywhere in every area. The fifth point is the hotspot; which includes areas of Delhi where most people have to suffer from pollution. The sixth point is the smog tower. Smog towers have been built inside Delhi. This will be one of the main points of our study. For this, we are going to form a committee of experts, on the basis of which we can further install the smog tower in other places”.

He said that the seventh focus point will be working with the neighboring states. “Since the pollution problem of Delhi is not only Delhi’s problem, we will establish a dialogue with our neighboring states so that we can work together to control pollution. All the experts we have spoken to say that this is an ‘Airset’ issue. And pollution doesn’t consider the administrative division of the states and it will affect all the places. Airset of North India affects Delhi. If there is any disturbance in the environment of Ghaziabad, it also affects Delhi. Similarly, if anything happens inside Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, it also affects Delhi. We will form a team of officials so that we can do whatever we can to control pollution. Our eighth focus point is to further upgrade War room.”