Delhi govt to take up smog issue with Centre

Concerned over the smog cover, the Delhi cabinet on Wednesday directed the environment department to take up the issue with the union ministry of environment and forests and the NCR Planning Board.

Concerned over the smog cover, the Delhi cabinet on Wednesday directed the environment department to take up the issue with the union ministry of environment and forests and the NCR Planning Board.

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The environment department has also been asked to commission a study to ascertain the sources of pollution and its movement towards Delhi.

In the meeting, it was stated that the primary reasons behind the smog were slow wind speed, low temperatures and high humidity. “Apart from this, burning of rice husk/straw in the agricultural fields of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (UP) have also contributed to the haze,” said a senior Delhi government official.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has also asked the environment department to ask UP and Haryana to fast-track the peripheral expressways to avoid entry of vehicles not bound for Delhi.

“To ensure that all vehicles entering Delhi strictly adhere to pollution norms, the transport department and police have been asked to launch a special drive for checking vehicular emission,” said Dikshit.

Dikshit said that there has been no increase in pollution from Delhi when compared to previous years.