AAP sends ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ drive files to LG again

The move by the Aam Aadmi Party government comes after Saxena on Saturday questioned the effectiveness of the campaign. The government has addressed his concerns in the latest submission.

The Delhi government on Monday resubmitted its proposal to launch a campaign to urge drivers at traffic intersections to switch off their engines to reduce vehicular emission to lieutenant governor V K Saxena for his consideration and approval.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai. (ANI)

The move by the Aam Aadmi Party government comes after Saxena on Saturdayquestioned the effectiveness of the campaign. The government has addressed his concerns in the latest submission.

“The Delhi government has resubmitted the file to the LG, with answers to all his questions, and requested him to give permission for this campaign, given the emergency situation in Delhi,” environment minister Gopal Rai said. “We have taken several measures to curb vehicular pollution, be it implementing the electric vehicle policy effectively or intensifying the campaign to check PUC (pollution under control) certificates. Along with these, we want to run the Red light on, Gaadi off campaign as well.”

Air quality has deteriorated in the capital over the past few days and currently hovers at the higher end of the very poor category, with values between 301 and 400 that could cause respiratory problems on prolonged exposure, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The campaign is aimed at lowering vehicular pollution, one of the key factors behind Delhi’s foul air.

The AAP government said that such campaigns have been run in 40 Indian cities, and similar campaigns are also common in the US and the UK. Only 20% of people turned off their car engines in Delhiat stop lights earlier, according to the Central Road Research Institute, compared with 80% of drivers doing it when this campaign was run, the government said.

The lieutenant governor’s office did to react to the latest development.

The campaign was first launched in 2020. In 2019, scientists of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Central Road Research Institute conducted a study on petroleum conservation, Rai said.

“As per that study, if a vehicle engine is not shut on a red light at a particular four way, there is an increase of pollution level by 9% on that four way,” he said, justifying the campaign under which around 2,500 civil defence volunteers are deployed at 100 busy intersections with placards to encourage drivers to turn of their engines at stop lights.

Another study was conducted in Delhi on Bhikaji Cama four-way by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, Rai said. “During the survey, it was found that merely 20% of the drivers turned off their engines when no campaign was conducted. Then, volunteers were deployed with placards and banners. As a result, 62.33% of drivers turned off their engines,” the state environment minister said.

“We have resent the file to the LG with all the data, and we are optimistic that on the basis of this data and keeping Delhi’s emergency situation in mind, he will approve of the campaign at the earliest,” Rai said.