Green Delhi mobile app ready, likely to be launched by CM Kejriwal on Thursday

The mobile application is part of the government’s seven-point action plan to fight air pollution, which was announced by chief minister Kejriwal on October 6.

The government’s Green Delhi mobile application – which will enable users to register complaints about violation of anti-pollution norms – is ready and scheduled to be launched by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, a government official said.

Users of the Green Delhi app will be able to upload photos and videos and send them along with their complaints. Each complainant will get a unique code to track the status of the complaint and action taken. (Ajay Aggarwal /HT PHOTO)

The mobile application is part of the government’s seven-point action plan to fight air pollution, which was announced by chief minister Kejriwal on October 6. The action plan includes dust-control strategies, a tree transplantation policy and schemes to encourage electric vehicles among other measures.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday held a review meeting with officials of various departments regarding the grievance redressal mechanism in connection with the new mobile application.

Users of the Green Delhi app will be able to upload photos and videos and send them along with their complaints. Each complainant will get a unique code to track the status of the complaint and action taken.

The departments that sent representatives for the meeting includeed police, public works department, Delhi Development Authority, the National Highways Authority of India, the three municipal corporations, the New Delhi Municipal Council, the revenue department, and the environment department, Rai’s office said in a statement, adding all these departments are to appoint nodal officers.

Delhi battles high levels of pollution every winter because of factors such as stubble and garbage burning, dust, local industrial and vehicular emission, which are compounded by unfavourable weather conditions. The air quality in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category on Tuesday, with the overall AQI settling at 312.

The statement said, “There will be a time limit for redressal of complaints received through the Green Delhi application, under which the departments concerned will have to work towards resolving the complaints. All departments concerned will be connected to the app and a complaint lodged through the app will be received and addressed by the departments. Nodal officers of the concerned departments and other officers subordinate to them will remain connected to the app. The Green Delhi app will be a photo and a video-based app.”

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), environment department, the Central Pollution Control Board and the Union environment ministry also operate helpline numbers for pollution-related complaints.

Those helplines numbers would continue to function, the senior government official said, adding, “The idea of the Delhi government’s app is to conveniently bring complaint registration and tracking mechanism under one platform for convenience of the complainant and better accountability on part of agencies handling each case.”