All polluting industries in Delhi will likely switch to PNG by month-end: Report

All industries in the Capital will likely switch to petroleum natural gas (PNG), a cleaner alternative to polluting fuels, by January 31, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) said on Thursday.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas had in December last year directed all industrial units in Delhi to switch to PNG by January 31, and had directed the DPCC to inspect and identify industries using polluting fuels and act against those found violating the directive.

In the latest report, the DPCC said out of the total 1,644 polluting industries identified in the national capital, 1,624 have converted to PNG, as on Thursday. Officials said the remaining units will be inspected in the coming weeks and a status report will be filed before the CAQM on January 31.

“At least 1,624 industrial units in Delhi have converted to PNG, a safer and non-polluting fuel out of 1644 units using polluting fuels. This is a major step in controlling the city’s industrial emissions. We are hoping that by January 31, when the deadline set by the CAQM will be completed, we can make a complete switch to clean fuel,” a DPCC official said.

The official said a status report has also been submitted to the CAQM and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

In an air review meeting conducted on December 22, the commission reviewed the progress of switching over of industries operating in Delhi to PNG.

Representatives of the Delhi government, DPCC, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) had attended the meeting to chalk out a plan to switch these industrial units to cleaner fuels as a long term initiative to reduce the pollution levels in Delhi.

“About 1,644 of the industrial units spread across 50 industrial areas in Delhi had been identified for the switch over to PNG. The Commission stressed the need to switch over by all identified industries in Delhi considering the sector is one of the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi and the NCR or the National Capital Region,” the minutes of the meeting read.

IGL and GAIL have also been directed to complete the pipeline network, metering, and associated infrastructure by January 31.