Delhi air pollution: Rai writes to Centre, seeks time to prepare joint action plan

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, seeking time to hold a meeting to discuss a joint action plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, seeking time to hold a meeting to discuss a joint action plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

**EDS NOTE: RPT WITH CAPTION CORRECTION** New Delhi: Jannayak Janata Party leader Dushyant Chautala speaks as Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Rai looks on during a joint press conference to announce the names of the JJP and AAP alliance candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana, at the AAP office in New Delhi, Sunday, April 21, 2019. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist) (PTI4_21_2019_000027B) (PTI)

Rai, in his letter, said the Delhi government wanted to work with the Centre for the preparation and implementation of a meaningful action plan which can save the residents of the national capital from the danger of air pollution during the winter.

“The level of pollution inside Delhi is steadily dropping as a result of all the actions done by the Delhi Government. The government is seriously tackling the issue of pollution in Delhi and will keep doing so. However, without a coordinated effort, the winter pollution issue in Delhi is challenging to resolve. We want the Central Government to work with the Delhi Government in this circumstance to successfully carry out this year’s Winter Action Plan. In this way, today through this letter, we have asked for time to hold a meeting with the central government so that we can keep all our points related to the winter action plan,” Rai wrote.

Rai noted that the Delhi government is preparing a winter action plan to focus on 15 key areas: stubble burning, dust pollution, vehicular pollution, open waste burning, industrial pollution, utilising the green ‘war room’ and Green Delhi app, pollution hotspots, a real-time apportionment study (by IIT-Kanpur), smog towers, an e-waste eco park, increasing green area and plantation, urban farming, promoting eco club activities, enforcing a ban on burning of firecrackers, and a dialogue with the central government and neighbouring states.

“Additionally, the Environment Department will create a collaborative action plan for the Winter Action Plan under which each department has been given distinct tasks on 15 focus points. Over the years it is observed that as a result of the constant efforts by Delhi Government, there was an increase in the number of days in the Satisfactory and Moderate category of AQI. The Delhi government is committed to provide a clean environment to the people of Delhi,” Rai added.

Last year too, a similar action plan for winter air pollution was launched, which looked at 10 different sources of air pollution.

The Union environment ministry did not comment on the letter.